World Refugee Day 2010 poster. © UNHCR

News Story, 15 June 2010

We are gearing up towards World Refugee Day on 20 June!

The theme for World Refugee Day 2010 is "Home", in recognition of the situation of more than 43 million uprooted people around the world. Around 10 million of them are refugees of concern to UNHCR.

It is said that a man’s home is his castle - a place of security and comfort. But for millions of people, home is a distant memory. It is a place they have had to flee to escape violence and persecution. Many end up living in a makeshift shelter or tent, either in their own country or in a foreign land. More than half of the refugees of concern to UNHCR now live in urban areas.

This year, to celebrate World Refugee Day, we are planning different events in the Baltic and Nordic countries to highlight the refugees under our care and to advocate on their behalf for the help they need.

In Estonia, the day is commemorated by showing and discussing the film Welcome by Philippe Lioret, on Thursday 17 June. The film explores the dangers and difficulties that refugees encounter as they search for safety and a new home. The film has received several awards at European film festivals, including the European Parliament Film Prize LUX in 2009. The event is hosted by UNHCR in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

In connection to the World Refugee Day, UNHCR also presented its annual global statistics for 2009 at a joint event with the Finnish Refugee Council in Helsinki, Finland, on Tuesday 15 June.

In Lithuania, there will be a meeting with State Border Guard Service (SBGS) cadets on 15 June where the NGO -produced film “Where eyes lead” will be shown. The film, which is about life and refugees in Lithuania, will be followed by discussions with young border officials on the topic of refugees and the refugees’ reasons for leaving their home country and search for a home abroad. On 18 June, there will be a traditional World Refugee Day celebration at the reception centre in Rukla.

In Norway, ‘Cartoons for Refugees’ will be published in many newspapers on 20 June. This is done in cooperation with cartoonists, the Norwegian Refugee Council and FECO, an association for cartoonists in Norway.

In addition we are sure that many non-governmental organisations and civil society groups will celebrate the day with refugee related events.

On World Refugee Day, UNHCR recognizes the strength and resolve of forcibly returned people and reaffirms its commitment to protect and find solutions for them. Help us help them to find a place to call home!