Amid the effects of the Ukrainian War and the diaspora provoked by the Russian invasion, the world has surpassed the 100 million mark for the first time. The number was released by the UN High Commissioner for the sector on Sunday night (22), early Monday morning (23) in Geneva, the body’s headquarters.
“One hundred million is a cruel, worrying and alarming number in equal measure. It is a record that should never have been set,” High Commissioner Filippo Grandi said in a statement. “It should serve as a wake-up call for the resolution and prevention of destructive conflicts, for ending persecution and for addressing the underlying causes that force innocent people to flee their homes.”
The full report will be released next month.
The number of refugees had already set a record 82.4 million in 2020. When the report was released last year, the UNHCR spokesperson in Brazil summed up the dismal expectations: “We no longer wonder if we will reach 100 millions, but when will we arrive”.
This total includes those who have left their country because of violence or persecution, people seeking asylum elsewhere, and people forcibly displaced within their own country.
According to Sunday’s statement, the 90 million mark was reached at the end of 2021, with a series of conflicts aggravating the situation this year. The agency highlighted the obvious role that the Ukrainian War played in the numbers, noting that more than 6 million inhabitants had to leave the country after the Russian invasion and that 8 million became internally displaced, forced to move to another city.
The total represents more than a quarter of the country’s population.
Chronic episodes of violence were also cited as drivers of the forcibly displaced statistics, in addition to recent waves seen in places such as Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The UNHCR also highlighted that 100 million people, if united in one country, would form the 14th most populous country in the world, with more than 1% of the planet’s inhabitants.
Grandi stressed that the international response to the wave of refugees in the Ukraine War has been positive, but that a similar mobilization for all crises is urgent. Many analysts believe that the reception of the Ukrainian diaspora, especially in Europe, reveals a double standard when compared to the way in which countries dealt with people of other nationalities, such as Syrians and Afghans.
“Ultimately, humanitarian aid is a palliative, not a cure,” Grandi said. “To reverse this trend, the only answer is peace and stability.”
