On June 20th, the international community marked the eighth annual
World Refugee Day, acknowledging the suffering of the millions of
people driven from their homes by war, persecution, economic
dislocation and environmental pressures. The commitment by the United
States to protect and aid refugees is a deep and abiding one, part of
the nation’s history and at the core of its values.
The United
Nations, which established the event in 2000, set this year’s focus on
refugee protection. Nations around the world stepped up efforts to
provide access to basic life sustaining aid, including shelter, food,
water, sanitation, health and nutrition. The demand is great and more
needs to be done.
The U.S. is proud to be the leading donor of
refugee assistance, providing more than a billion dollars a year to
support multilateral efforts to help alleviate the suffering of not
only refugees, but also internally displaced people and other victims
of conflict.
It has also resettled more refugees than all
nations of the world combined, and in their presence they have made
great contributions throughout the country with their talents, hard
work and creativity.
