KEY POINTS

  • World Refugee Day will be celebrated Saturday (June 20)
  • The theme of World Refugee Day 2020 is Every Action Counts
  • Due to coronavirus pandemic, the day will be celebrated through virtual events

Wars, internal conflicts, and persecutions have displaced many people from their homes. Each year, June 20 is observed as World Refugee Day to raise awareness about refugees across the world and celebrate their strength and courage.

World Refugee Day 2020 theme

Amid coronavirus pandemic that has engulfed the world, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called this year’s theme - Every Action Counts.

“In the time of COVID, we celebrate refugees who are on the frontlines fighting this pandemic, their hosts and the aid workers supporting them.”

The World Refugee Day 2020 campaign aims to remind everyone that they can make a difference, and every action counts in making the world more inclusive and just.

World Refugee Day’s origin

According to UNHCR, World Refugee Day was first celebrated on June 20, 2001. It was observed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention related to the Status of Refugees.

2020 World Refugee Day celebrations

Each year, the day is celebrated by organizing various events around the world to honor and support the refugees. However, due to coronavirus pandemic, the celebrations will be done remotely as people are encouraged to join virtual World Refugee Day events.

2020 World Refugee Day thought-provoking quotes

  • “Refugees are not terrorists. They are often the first victims of terrorism” – Antonio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres
  • “They are safe but they are not in their homes. They are city-less. I think it’s just a disaster for everyone.” – Teri Hatcher
  • “Refugees are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, with the same hopes and ambitions as us—except that a twist of fate has bound their lives to a global refugee crisis on an unprecedented scale.” – Khaled Hosseini
  • “Refugees didn’t just escape a place. They had to escape a thousand memories until they’d put enough time and distance between them and their misery to wake to a better day.” – Nadia Hashimi
  • “In countries where people have to flee their homes because of persecution and violence, political solutions must be found, peace and tolerance restored so that refugees can return home. In my experience, going home is the deepest wish of most refugees.” – Angelina Jolie
Syrian refugee Mustapha Shikho hands over a box of protective masks to the local pharmacist
Syrian refugee Mustapha Shikho hands over a box of protective masks to the local pharmacist AFP / MEHDI FEDOUACH
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