© UNHCR/Pauline Omagwa
© UNHCR/Pauline Omagwa
World Refugee Day 2023
Each year on 20 June, the world celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.
© UNHCR/Ruben Salgado Escudero
What is World Refugee Day?
World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. It falls each year on 20 June and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.
© UNHCR/Petterik Wiggers
Hope away from Home
This year, World Refugee Day focuses on the power of inclusion and solutions for refugees.
Including refugees in the communities where they have found safety after fleeing conflict and persecution is the most effective way to support them in restarting their lives and enable them to contribute to the countries hosting them. It’s also the best way to prepare them to return home and rebuild their countries, when conditions allow them to do so safely and voluntarily, or to thrive if they are resettled to another country.
What can you do
GIVE
Support the creation of scholarships for young refugees by donating to our Aiming Higher campaign.
CREATE
Join our global art contest, which will launch on 20 June, and get a chance to design shirts that will raise funds for refugees.
World Refugee Day Events
Each year, World Refugee Day is marked by a variety of events in many countries around the globe in support of refugees. These activities are led by or involve refugees themselves, government officials, host communities, companies, celebrities, school children and the general public, among others.
In Central Asia, UNHCR and partners are:
Providing First Aid, psychosocial care, and professional development courses for refugees in Kazakhstan.
Launching an art exhibition featuring photos of refugees and paintings by Kyrgyz artists on the topic of hope away from home, and hosting a public screening the film the ‘Swimmers’ in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Supporting Afghan refugee designers to produce a fashion collection, under the mentorship of world-class Tajik designers, to showcase during Tajikistan Fashion Week.
Delivering lectures for students in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on international protection of people forced to flee.