Days Until World Refugee Day

About World Refugee Day

The General Assembly designated June 20 in 2000, building on an existing Africa Refugee Day observance, and first marked internationally in 2001 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports well over 100 million people worldwide are forcibly displaced in recent years, the highest figures the agency has ever recorded, driven by conflict, persecution, and climate-related displacement.

The observance is marked with public awareness campaigns and, in many countries, community events specifically highlighting refugees' resettlement stories and ongoing needs.

UNHCR's mandate dates back to its own 1950 founding in the aftermath of World War II's displacement crisis, giving the agency behind this day one of the longest continuous humanitarian mandates in the UN system.

UNHCR also uses the day to publicize specific individual refugee stories through partnerships with media organizations, aiming to humanize global displacement statistics that can otherwise feel abstract.