There are 193 countries in the world. And 21 million refugees. More than half of these refugees – nearly 12 million people – are living in just 10 of these 193 countries. This is inherently unsustainable. Countries hosting such high numbers of refugees cannot provide for them. Many refugees are living in grinding poverty without access to basic services and without hope for the future. Not surprisingly, many are desperate to move elsewhere. And some are willing to risk dangerous journeys to try and find a better life.
Efforts to address the global refugee crisis have failed to address even a small fraction of the actual needs. Moreover, they are often based on measures to ensure that the wealthiest countries face the least disruption. Many of the world’s wealthiest countries have devoted significant resources to ensuring that refugee populations remain in less wealthy countries – shirking rather than sharing responsibility.
Amnesty International believes that it is possible, if states will share the responsibility, to ensure that these people who have had to flee their homes and countries, through no fault of their own, can rebuild their lives in safety elsewhere.
Amnesty International is campaigning for much greater responsibility-sharing amongst states and for greater protection of the rights of refugees around the world. The concept of responsibility-sharing is rooted in international human rights and refugee law. States have obligations to assist each other to host refugees, and obligations to seek, and provide, international cooperation and assistance to ensure that refugees can enjoy international protection