A record 38 million internally displaced worldwide as 30,000 people fled their homes each day in 2014
A record-breaking 38 million people have been displaced within their own country by conflict or violence. This is the equivalent of the total populations of London, New York and Beijing combined. “These are the worst figures for forced displacement in a generation, signalling our complete failure to protect innocent civilians” said Jan Egeland, secretary general at the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
Today, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), part of NRC, launched its Global Overview 2015: People internally displaced by conflict and violence at the United Nations in Geneva. With internal displacement figures reaching a record high for the third year in a row, the report also documents that 11 million people were newly displaced by violent events throughout 2014.
“Global diplomats, UN resolutions, peace talks and ceasefire agreements have lost the battle against ruthless armed men who are driven by political or religious interests rather than human imperatives,” said Egeland. “This report should be a tremendous wake-up call. We must break this trend where millions of men, women and children are becoming trapped in conflict zones around the world.”
Volker Türk, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, said that the staggering number of internally displaced people because of conflict and violence is a harbinger of movements to come. “We know that more and more internally displaced have been forced to move within their country multiple times. The longer a conflict lasts, the more insecure they feel and when hopelessness sets in, many will cross borders and become refugees,” he said.
“As we have seen in the recent past, for example in the Mediterranean, despair drives people to take their chances and even risk dangerous boat journeys. The obvious solution lies in an all-out effort to bring about peace in war-ravaged countries,” Mr Türk added.
The report also highlights how long-lasting, or protracted displacement, contributes to this alarmingly high global total. In 2014, there were people living in displacement for ten years or more in nearly 90% of the 60 countries and territories IDMC monitored.
“As new or renewed crises emerge in countries such as Ukraine or Iraq, new caseloads of internally displaced people join an already massive global displaced population who seem blocked from finding ways of ending their displacement” said Alfredo Zamudio, director of IDMC.
“Much of this vast population includes those who were displaced many years ago, like in Azerbaijan or Cyprus, so what we commonly see is that the very act of displacement forces an individual into a vicious cycle that becomes harder to escape from the longer they are in it” said Zamudio.
The IDMC report also describes how displacement often reveals underlying structural challenges within a country, and how it can be prolonged by a government’s deliberate politicisation of the issue or its refusal to enter into a formal resolution of a crisis.
“38 million human beings are suffering – often in horrendous conditions where they have no hope and no future-and unless we challenge ourselves to change our approach, the shockwaves of these conflicts will continue to haunt us for decades to come,” said Egeland.
Notes to editors:
The Global Overview 2015 outlines key displacement events in 2014, which included: The 38 million internally displaced at the end of 2014 represent a 4.7 million increase compared to 2013, when IDMC reported 33.3 million as internally displaced
60% of people newly displaced were in five countries alone: Iraq, South Sudan, Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Nigeria
Iraqi civilians suffered the most new displacement in 2014, with at least 2.2 million people fleeing their homes
At least 40% of Syria’s population, or 7.6 million people, have been internally displaced, the highest number in the world.
Boko Haram’s campaign to control territory and impose Islamic law in north-eastern Nigeria drove hundreds of thousands from their homes.
For the first time in more than a decade Europe had massive enforced displacement caused by the war in Ukraine, where 646,500 people fled their homes in 2014.
The report covers displacement occurring in 2014 and is based on data provided by governments, NGO partners and UN agencies. It documents the figures and analysis of internal displacement in 60 countries and territories as a consequence of conflict and generalised violence
Percentages are calculated based on actual figures, not rounded figures.
This report deals with internal displacement within the countries, not to be confused with UNHCR’s Global Trends Report due in June 2015.
Support material available for print and broadcast:
To download the full report, including maps, graphs and the full dataset: http://bit.ly/1KGwGVg (Please copy and paste link in a new web browser)
For broadcasters, B-Roll footage is available for the following countries:
Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Central African Republic, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo
Please go here http://bit.ly/1KGwGVg to download the footage (Copy and paste link in a new web browser)
**Please credit the footage to UNHCR**
Media Contacts
UNHCR : In Geneva, Babar Baloch on mobile +41 79 557 9106
IDMC/NRC:
NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland will be available for a limited number of interviews on the 6th May 2015. Please arrange an interview in advance by contacting:
Clare Spurrell, Head of Communications
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
E-Mail: [email protected]
Mobile: 41 79 379 89 52
Shervin Tadi, Communications Officer
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
E-Mail: [email protected]
Mobile: 41 78 630 16 78
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