World Refugee Day 2023

Refugees are not just statistics — they are mothers, fathers, and children whose lives have been turned upside down by persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations.

There are 103 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, according to the latest data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Among them are more than 32.5 million refugees, the highest population on record. Experts predict this figure will rise again sharply in 2023; that’s 32.5 million men, women, and children forced to leave their home countries in search of safety and freedom.

But while the scale of the global refugee crisis has escalated, support for some of the world’s most vulnerable people has not kept pace. The gap between those needing resettlement and those resettled is quickly widening, emergency relief funds are being stretched, and refugee camps in places like Bangladesh and Lebanon exceed capacity.

We are witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record. It is vital that we understand the scale and global impact of the refugee crisis as we consider our response on a personal and international level. ADRA continues to help refugees worldwide, including those affected by the deadly earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria and those who remain uprooted from their homes in Ukraine, both inside and outside of its borders, more than a year after the invasion.

ADRA has also partnered with our churches to help with the crisis. Our church communities have responded to global refugee needs – from speaking up for just and generous resettlement programs to welcoming refugees into family homes. God’s people worldwide are working to ensure those fleeing for their lives find safety, peace, and belonging.

In other parts of the world, ADRA teams are leading remarkable advocacy initiatives, that garnered attention from lawmakers and the United Nations, to raise awareness about the refugee crisis and find policy solutions in places like Mexico, Serbia, and Sweden.

This World Refugee Day, we invite you to listen to cries for justice from refugees – in their own words. “We can be truly free, ultimately, only together.”