Revealed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on 13 June, this alarming figure underscores a growing global crisis.

The UNHCR attributed the surge in displacement to ongoing conflicts in regions such as Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar. The displaced population now mirrors the population size of Japan.

"Conflict remains a very, very big driver of mass displacement" stated UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi.

At the end of 2022, 117.3 million people were displaced, and this number grew to 120 million by April 2023.

This marks a significant increase from 110 million the previous year, continuing a 12-year trend of rising displacement figures.

Reflecting on his eight-year tenure, Grandi noted that the displacement numbers have more than doubled. He called it "a terrible indictment on the state of the world".

He also highlighted climate change as a factor exacerbating the crisis, driving both conflicts and population movements.

International law disregarded

The UNHCR declared 43 emergencies across 29 countries last year, a four-fold increase over previous years.

Grandi noted "the way conflicts are conducted ... in complete disregard" of international law and "often with the specific purpose of terrorising people".

"This, of course, is a powerful contributor to more displacement."

The UNHCR's report detailed that of the 117.3 million forcibly displaced at the end of 2023, 68.3 million were internally displaced within their countries.

The number of refugees and those needing international protection rose to 43.4 million.

Contrary to popular belief, most refugees do not migrate to wealthy nations.

"The vast majority of refugees are hosted in countries neighbouring their own, with 75 percent residing in low- and middle-income countries that together produce less than 20 percent of the world's income" the UNHCR said.

Displacement figures will continue to rise

Since it began in April 2023, Sudan's civil war has displaced over nine million people, contributing significantly to the rising numbers. Many Sudanese continue to seek refuge in Chad, one of the world's poorest nations. Similarly, ongoing conflicts in Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo have led to millions being displaced.

In Gaza the UN estimates that 1.7 million people, or 75 percent of the population, have been displaced due to the conflict. Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine, following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, has resulted in 750,000 newly displaced individuals within the country, with a total of 3.7 million internally displaced people by the end of 2023.

The UNHCR predicts that figures for those forcibly displaced will continue to rise unless there is a significant shift in international geopolitics.

Sources

UCA News

CathNews New Zealand

The Catholic Church is one group trying to help alleviate suffering.

In the grounds of the Cathedral of St. Mary in Wau, for example, almost 10,000 internally displaced people continue to find refuge. Read more

With hardly more than the clothes on your backs, you and your family must flee from an invading armed force.

Or imagine your quick exodus is due to the fact that gang members have threatened to kill your family because your teenage son or grandson has refused to join their murderous drug gang.

Or imagine that because of your religion, race, nationality, political belief or membership in a particular social group you and your family are being persecuted.

So, you decide that despite the very dangerous risks involved, the only reasonable hope you and your family have is to move as quickly as possible towards somewhere, anywhere, where life is safer than where you're at now.

That's exactly what over 65 million desperate people have done!

According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) recent report titled Global Trends, 65.3 million people were displaced by the end of 2015 - greater than the combined population of Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Last year well over 3 million fellow human beings sought emergency asylum in foreign countries, while more than 40 million people were displaced within their own country - the highest number of asylum seekers and internally displaced people in history, according to the UNHCR (please view the Global Trends 2015 video http://bit.ly/2aJuC4T).

The UNHCR says the reason for the increasingly huge numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons is significantly due to armed conflicts in Syria - arguably the worst - Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Burundi, Ukraine, Central African Republic and South Sudan.

Followers of the crucified Christ cannot ignore all this suffering. We must not allow ourselves to be part of what Pope Francis calls a "globalization of indifference."

In similar sentiments, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said, "We are facing the biggest refugee and displacement crisis of our time. Above all, this is not just a crisis of numbers; it is also a crisis of solidarity."

For Catholics there should never be a crisis of solidarity. For solidarity is one of the essential principles of Catholic social teaching.

The opening words of Vatican II's "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World" beautifully reveal what being in solidarity with the poor and vulnerable means for the Christian:

"The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ."

As an act of solidarity, please email and call your two U.S. senators and congressperson (Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121) urging them to robustly increase emergency and fiscal year 2017 funding for refugees and internally displaced persons throughout the world.

Also urge them to significantly increase the number of thoroughly vetted refugees into the U.S. And insist they stop funding extremely harmful military actions in numerous conflict zones.

As an additional act of solidarity, please make a generous donation to Catholic Relief Services on behalf of impoverished and battered South Sudan (go to: http://bit.ly/2b7hvfx and in the "special request" box type "for South Sudan").

You might also kindly consider helping extremely war-torn Syrian refugees and displaced persons by giving a gift through Catholic Near East Welfare Association (please go to http://bit.ly/2b73v5k).

Let us take to heart the words of St. John Paul II, "We are all really responsible for all."

• Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist.

These families are sheltering in over 200 evacuation centres and many lack regular access to water, food and essential items. Water and electricity shortages across the Western Division are creating a potentially dangerous situation for thousands more.

The director of the Fiji Disaster Management Office says between 30 and 40,000 people are receiving rations following Fiji floods that killed at least six and caused widespread devastation.

Pajiliai Dobui says the number of people in evacuation centres in the Western Division stands at just over 1,800 and there are 28 evacuees from a village in the Central Division's Rewa province.

UNICEF is especially concerned over access to clean water for both drinking and bathing. Leptospirosis, diarrhea and typhoid are a real threat in the flood-affected areas. Water is being delivered by trucks to evacuation centers and communities - however, due to damaged roads not all areas can be reached regularly. For those who do have access to water, proper filtering and storage of water is essential.

Source

• Radio New Zealand International
• Pacific Scoop.co.nz
• Image: The Voice of Russia