Refugees disproportionately exposed to the impact of coronavirus: Guterres |

Everyone has a duty to help refugees rebuild their lives after a particularly difficult year for many – this is the message of the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, To determine World Refugee Day On June 20.

In an appeal for greater sympathy to all those who, through no fault of their own, have had to flee conflict, climate shocks and harassment, Mr. Guterres, who has just been reappointed for a second term, said the pandemic has decimated the livelihoods of refugees, stigmatizing and discrediting them.

The UN Secretary-General insisted that refugees were also disproportionately exposed to the virus, adding that they had once again demonstrated their valuable contribution to their host communities as essential and frontline workers. “It is our duty to help the refugees rebuild their lives,” he said. “COVID-19 Show us that we can only succeed if we stand together.”

Mr. Guterres, who spent ten years as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, prior to taking up his current position, called on communities and governments to do more to include refugees in health care, education and sport, and to move together toward a more inclusive future free of discrimination.

© UNHCR / Jiro Ose

After a seven-month ordeal at sea, a Rohingya refugee from Myanmar meets his sister (center) in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

The Secretary-General expressed his admiration for the refugees and displaced persons, for their courage, for their resilience, and for “what they have taught us all about the power of hope and healing.”

According to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCRThe number of people in need of international protection rose last year to nearly 82.4 million. That’s a 4 percent increase over an already record high of 79.5 million records at the end of 2019.

Refugee Agency’s leading global trends report, Friday revealed That, far from slowing forced displacement around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic may be partially responsible for record levels of people fleeing war, violence and human rights abuses.