Guatemalan Returnee Children. Children and adolescents constitute some 50% of all refugees assisted by UNHCR. In Guatemala, UNHCR helped returned children and their families rebuild their lives.
© UNHCR/B. Press
World Refugee Day 2003
On the occasion of Fiftieth anniversary of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) launched an annual World Refugee Day. The General Assembly unanimously adopted on 4th December 2000 the resolution to have World Refugee Day on 20th June.
For years, many countries and regions had been holding their own Refugee Days and even Refugee Weeks. One of the most widespread is Africa Refugee Day, which is celebrated on 20 June in several countries. As an expression of solidarity with Africa, which hosts the most refugees, and which traditionally has shown them great generosity, a special UN General Assembly Resolution was unanimously adopted in 2000 which designated 20 June every year as World Refugee Day.
After paying tribute to refugee women in 2002, World Refugee Day 2003 focused on Refugee Youth, putting the spotlight on their needs, their potential and their drive to create a better future for themselves and their communities. The UNHCR explains:
“It is the special plight of these innocents that UNHCR wishes to spotlight, by dedicating World Refugee Day 2003 to Refugee Youth, and thereby open the eyes of a worldwide audience to their needs. We also wish to accentuate the positive by celebrating their many strengths, their huge potential, and their capacity to help themselves and their communities. Our aim is to provide refugee youth with a heightened sense of value and self-worth…”
Selected full-text documents (for more, search in the Digital Library)
Selected web-based information resources (for more, search in the Web Catalogue)
Contact details for organizations that work with children and adolescents (for more, search in the Organizations Directory)
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