Oxfam’s reaction to UNHCR’s annual report on refugee numbers worldwide

“Another year, another awful record broken. Behind these numbers are people like you and me making dangerous journeys they never wanted to make because of threats to their safety and most basic rights.

“The Government’s overseas aid to host countries and its new target to resettle 5,000 refugees per year are welcome and will go some way towards helping these people. But with 84 percent of the world’s refugees still in developing countries, wealthier nations should be doing more. One way the Government can do this is by making fairer rules on family reunion so that refugees can live with their loved ones in the UK. Children should be with their parents and the Government can help make that happen today.

“The Global Refugee Forum in December is an opportunity for all nations to step up their efforts and tackle this issue that gets worse with each passing year.”

Ends

Notes to editors: 
UNHCR’s Global Trends 2018 report is published on Wednesday 19 June. It reveals record numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and forcibly displaced people in the world for the seventh successive year. 
The Global Refugee Forum will take place on 17 and 18 December 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. The ministerial-level meeting is expected to deliver “concrete pledges and contributions” to advance the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees, which was affirmed by UN Member States in December 2018. Contributions may take the form of financial and technical assistance, resettlement places or other pathways for refugees to reach safe countries.