Luanda — Angola is home to 57,000 refugees and asylum seekers, who benefit from various social assistance policies carried out by the government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The world celebrates this Thursday, June 20, the Day of the Refugee, at a time when the Angolan Government and international organizations remain faithful to the policies aimed at strengthening the process of social and productive inclusion of refugees.
According to a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this population is largely made up of refugees and asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), of which 17% were registered during the 2017 mass influx of the Greater Kasai.
It also adds that citizens of other nationalities, namely Guineans, Ivorians, Mauritanians, Somalis, Sudanese and Eritreans, are also part of this list.
One of the most referenced settlement areas is Lóvua, in the province of Lunda-Norte.
Located 15 kilometers from the municipal seat of Lóvua and 85 kilometers from Dundo, the settlement has an extension of 300 hectares, of which 240 were intended for housing, food assistance, drinking water, health services and education. The remaining space is used for agriculture.
Cooperation between the Angolan Government and UNHCR has been instrumental in finding sustainable solutions to the humanitarian challenges affecting thousands of refugees.
UNHCR has been present in Angola for more than 40 years and works in full partnership and coordination with the Government, providing support to develop policies and legislation consistent with global commitments related to refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons.
UNHCR's activities in Angola aim to support the Government to ensure that persons in need of international protection have unhindered access to the territory and to the determination of asylum status, registration, documentation and refugee status.
UNHCR also provides humanitarian assistance to displaced populations and host communities to meet their basic needs and have full access to essential services and livelihood opportunities.
Refugee
A refugee is any person who, because of well-founded fears of persecution because of his or her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion, is outside his or her country of origin and who, because of these fears, is unable or unwilling to return due to the serious and widespread violation of human rights.
World Refugee Day was created by the United Nations (UN) in 2000 in an attempt to raise awareness among governments and populations about the serious problem of refugees worldwide.
On this date, tribute is paid to the courage, resistance and strength of millions of people who were forced to flee their homes and took refuge in other locations for a variety of reasons.
The main objective, according to the UNHCR, is to discuss with the governments and societies in which they are welcomed the idea of solidarity, respect and responsibility that they should have with the refugee peoples, in addition to holding various events in favor of the anniversary.
This year the date is celebrated under the theme 'Climate change, journey change: protecting displaced people also from climate change'.
This year, World Refugee Day focuses on refugees' resilience in the face of climate change, their actions on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and the search for lasting solutions for forcibly displaced people in this context.
UNHCR understands that addressing climate change as a fundamental cause of displacement is crucial to breaking this cycle and finding lasting solutions.
World Situation
By the end of 2023, more than 117 million people remained forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, and events seriously disturbing public order.
This represents an increase of 8% from the previous year (an increase of 8.8 million people), continuing a trend of annual increases for 12 years.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Of the total 117 million forcibly displaced people, 40%, or about 47 million people, are children.
By the end of 2023, one in 69 people globally, or 1.5% of the world's entire population, was forcibly displaced, almost twice as many as a decade ago.
Low- and middle-income countries hosted 75% of the world's refugees and others in need of international protection by the end of 2023. P
The steady increase in the number of people in forced displacement reflects new and old conflicts and reflects the failure to resolve protracted conflicts and the lack of political will to address the causes of displacement.
Last year, at least 25 million people were forced from their homes by wars and conflicts, with nearly one in five (19%) fleeing to another country.
Compared to a decade ago, the total number of refugees has more than doubled. Some 73 per cent of the refugees under UNHCR's mandate originate from just five countries: Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine and Sudan. FMA/ART/DOJ
