World Refugee Day 2014

Today, 20 June 2014, is World Refugee Day. UNHCR is continuing its theme from last year's campaign that "1 family torn apart by war is too many." Visit the agency's Stories site to learn more about the experiences of forcibly displaced persons. Check out the web sites and Facebook pages of individual UNHCR offices for more info on country-specific events.

This date also marks the 40th anniversary of the OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa.

Numerous information resources are being launched today. Among them are:

*Innovate Data: How UNHCR Terminology and Language Have Changed Over the Years (UNHCR Innovation) [access]
- Take a "look back at the 1,774,931 words made in 703 speeches by the 10 High Commissioners for Refugees since UNHCR's inception in 1950" and see how tone and word choice have changed.

*LGBTI Refugee Project Portal (ORAM) [access]
- This new site provides access to "projects and approaches that enhance the protection of LGBTI forced migrants in the areas of refugee status determination, policy development and research, practical protection measures, durable solutions, and staff sensitization and development."

Refugee Economies: Rethinking Popular Assumptions (Humanitarian Innovation Project, June 2014) [text]
- Note: This report will be officially launched at an event today in Oxford.  Follow the link for more information.

The Role of Citizenship in Addressing Refugee Crises in Africa’s Great Lakes Region (International Refugee Rights Initiative, June 2014) [access]

UNHCR Global Trends 2013: War's Human Cost (UNHCR, June 2014) [text]
- This related news story reports that "the number of refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people worldwide has, for the first time in the post-World War II era, exceeded 50 million people...": specifically, "51.2 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2013, fully 6 million more than the 45.2 million reported in 2012."

*In addition, examples of some WRD-related commentary include:
- For World Refugee Day, 5 Long-term Refugee Trends (Pew Research Center, June 2014) [text]
- Making World Refugee Day Count (OUPblog, June 2014) [text]
- An Unsustainable Refugee Crisis (UNRWA, June 2014) [text]
- World Refugee Day: IACHR Emphasizes the Importance of the Right to Seek and Receive Asylum (IACHR, June 2014) [text]
- World Refugee Day: It is Vital to Create Safe Legal Channels to Europe, says PACE President (PACE, June 2014) [text]
- World Refugee Day: UN Security Council’s "Spectacular Failures" Cause Millions to Flee (Amnesty International, June 2014) [text]
- World Refugee Day 2014: Highest Levels of Displacement since World War II (FlagPost, June 2014) [text]
- World Refugee Day a Reminder of Resilience, and a Call to a Solution (Center for Disaster Philanthropy, June 2014) [text]
- World Refugee Day Draws Attention to Shortcomings of International Law (IntLawGrrls, June 2014) [text]
- World Refugee Day Remarks (Global Views Blog, June 2014) [text]

I will add more as the day unfolds.

*UPDATED

Tagged Events & Opportunities, Publications and Web Sites/Tools.