Statement by Yasmine Sherif, ECW Executive Director, on the occasion of World Refugee Day

NEW YORK, June 20, 2023/PRNewswire/ -- By the end of 2022, there were 108.4 million forcibly displaced people around the world. This figure includes 62.5 million internally displaced persons, 35.3 million refugees, 5.4 million asylum seekers and another 5.2 million in need of international protection, according to a recent UNHCR analysis.

Currently, more than 43 million of the world's forcibly displaced are children, compared to 36 million in 2021.

On the occasion of World Refugee Day, ECW is calling on leaders around the world to ensure respect for the rights of refugees enshrined in the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. These girls and boys, who have fled their beloved countries of origin due to armed conflicts and persecution, they have the right to protection and basic services, not least to continue their education. With access to safe, inclusive and quality learning opportunities, there is hope far from home.

Hope away from home means the safety of the classroom, the kindness of caring and well-trained teachers, the nourishment of a school lunch, and the dignity to learn, grow, and prosper. Their experiences have made them resilient, but the scars remain. With mental health and psychosocial services in their educational pathway, they can and will reach their full potential in the most amazing ways.

With strategic partners like UNHCR, Education Cannot Wait is dedicated to ensuring that refugee girls and boys can access safe learning environments. In places like Chad, this means refugee girls like Hawa are learning to read and write with the support of the government, which has taken great strides to include refugees in the national education system.

We won't make it alone. About US$4.85 billion annually will be needed to provide education for the world's refugees. As we rethink our priorities and join forces to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, we must connect donors, the private sector, philanthropic foundations and other innovative financing modalities to bridge this gap.

As the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies, Education Cannot Wait was created to follow and find those furthest behind – refugees on the move – and support the delivery of quality education. With a total financing of 1,500 million dollars in the next four years, we will reach 20 million children and adolescents with a comprehensive quality education.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1656121/Education_Cannot_Wait_Logo.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2102341/Education_Cannot_Wait.jpg

View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/educacion-la-promesa-de-esperanza-para-los-refugiados-del-mundo-301852359.html