Studie des UNHCR zur globalen Situation der Flüchtlinge, 20.6.2014 (engl. Originalfassung)
The year 2013 was marked by a continuation of multiple refugee crises, reaching levels unseen since the Rwandan genocide in 1994. As such, 2013 has been one of the most challenging years in UNHCR’s history. More than 2.5 million persons were forced to abandon their homes and seek protection outside the borders of their country, most of them in neighbouring countries. These new refugees joined the two million persons who had become refugees in 2011 and 2012. The war in the Syrian Arab Republic, entering into its third year in 2013, was the primary cause of these outflows, as highlighted by two dramatic milestones. In August, the one millionth Syrian refugee child was registered; only a few weeks later, UNHCR announced that the number of Syrian refugees had passed two million. The Syrian Arab Republic had moved from being the world’s second largest refugee-hosting country to being its second largest refugee-producing country – within a span of just five years.
EVEN WHILE THE SYRIAN crisis continued to unfold, millions of individuals were forcibly displaced in other parts of the world, notably in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Mali, and the border area between South Sudan and Sudan. By the end of 2013, an estimated 51.2 million persons worldwide were considered to be forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or human rights violations. These included 16.7 million refugees, (4) 33.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), (5) and close to 1.2 million individuals whose asylum applications had not yet been adjudicated by the end of the reporting period. The 2013 levels of forcible displacement were the highest since at least 1989, the first year that comprehensive statistics on global forced displacement existed. If these 51.2 million persons were a nation, they would make up the 26th largest in the world. While 2.5 million persons sought refuge abroad, an additional 8.2 million (6) were displaced within the borders of their countries, bringing the total number of displaced persons within the year to 10.7 million. In addition, nearly 1.1 million persons lodged asylum claims on an individual basis during 2013, resulting in conflict and persecution forcing an average of 32,200 persons per day to leave their homes. This compares to 23,400 a year earlier and 14,200 two years ago.
Largely due to escalating crises in the Syrian Arab Republic and multiple parts of Africa, the total number of refugees and IDPs protected/ assisted by UNHCR in 2013 increased by 7.4 million persons, reaching a record high of 35.6 million persons by year-end [see Figure 2]. The number of refugees increased to 11.7 million, from 10.5 million in 2012, and the number of IDPs protected or assisted by UNHCR increased to 23.9 million, from 17.7 million in 2012. In addition, UNHCR estimates that at least 10 million persons were stateless globally, though official statistics covered only some 3.5 million.
Close to 1.1 million individual asylum applications were registered with governments or UNHCR in 2013, the highest such figure in more than a decade. Among the top 10 source countries of asylum-seekers were eight currently experiencing war, conflict, or gross human rights violations. This clearly reflects a continued, increasing demand for international protection throughout the year. Similarly, the number of unaccompanied or separated children filing an asylum application during the year also continued to increase, surpassing the 25,000 mark for the first time since UNHCR started collecting such information in a systematic way in 2006.
Some 414,600 refugees were able to return to their country of origin during the year, though unfortunately this was a fifth less than in 2012 (526,000). In contrast, UNHCR submitted over 93,200 refugees for resettlement in 2013, a quarter more than in 2012. Where UNHCR was engaged with IDPs, an estimated 1.4 million persons were able to return home in 2013. Nevertheless, the situation in many countries prevented the return of millions of forcibly displaced individuals. For example, the number of refugees considered to be in protracted situations (7) was 6.3 million at year-end.
This report analyses statistical trends and changes from January to December 2013 for the populations for whom UNHCR has been entrusted with a responsibility by the international community. This includes refugees, asylum-seekers, returnees, stateless persons, and certain groups of internally displaced persons, collectively referred to as ‘persons of concern’. (8) The data presented are based on information available as of 19 May 2014, unless otherwise indicated.
The figures in 2013 Global Trends are based on data reported by governments, non-governmental organizations, and UNHCR. The numbers are rounded to the closest hundred or thousand. As some adjustments may appear in the 2013 Statistical Yearbook, to be released later this year, the figures contained in this report should be considered as provisional, and may be subject to change. Unless otherwise specified, the report does not refer to event.
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