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CAFOD

Refugee crisis explained

31 May 2023
Mass displacement shelters

Conflict, poverty and climate change drive millions of people to leave their homes seeking safety in temporary shelters.

CAFOD answers your questions about the global refugee crisis and how CAFOD is responding.

What is the refugee crisis?

There are more people on the move than ever before. Every minute, 30 people around the world are newly displaced. Half of the world’s refugees are children and thousands take flight without the protection of parents or other family members.

Most people on the move are from poor countries, and most seek safety in nearby developing countries or within their own country’s borders. The communities who welcome them are often struggling to survive themselves. 

Forced to leave behind jobs, personal belongings and loved ones, vulnerable people fleeing conflict and poverty urgently need shelter, food and water.

World Refugee Day

Each year on 20 June, the world celebrates World Refugee Day - a day to honour refugees around the world who show strength and resilience as they are forced to flee their homes.

This year, the theme of World Refugee Day is 'home away from home', finding ways to be more inclusive towards refugees in our communities. Every person has a right to a home and to feel welcomed and accepted – whoever they are, wherever they come from and whenever they are forced to flee. Pope Francis has called on us as Catholics to welcome migrants and refugees with arms wide open.

How is CAFOD responding to the global refugee crisis?

The Church is at the forefront of welcoming, protecting and integrating refugees and migrants throughout the world. We are a member of Caritas Internationalis - a confederation of Catholic aid agencies across the globe. Here are just a few of the countries where CAFOD is providing support for refugees:

  • Ukraine - Through our international partner Caritas, we are working inside Ukraine and on its borders to support people who have been forced from their homes by the conflict, setting up safe centres with beds, food and washing facilities. We’re also providing transport, information, psychological support and child-friendly spaces.

  • Afghanistan- Nearly 6 million Afghans have been driven out of their homes and their country by conflict, violence and poverty with majority escaping to Pakistan and Iran. CAFOD is working with local partners distributing food, cash vouchers and toolkits, supporting Afghans with a reliable way of earning an income. 

  • Colombia - A decades-long armed conflict has resulted in the second highest number of people forced to flee their homes in the world. CAFOD partners provide practical support and help people who have lost their homes to speak up for their rights. We are also supporting Venezuelans who have been forced to flee their homes and crossed the border into Colombia.

  • South Sudan - Over a million South Sudanese have fled civil war to take refuge in Uganda. Caritas Uganda is helping provide food, water and shelter.

  • Sudan - Conflict has broken out in Sudan, and hundreds of civilians have been caught up in the violence. Our local experts are supporting refugees who are crossing the border into South Sudan.

  • Bangladesh - Since 2017 more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh, escaping violence in Myanmar.

  • Kenya - Kenyan Bishops have been active and outspoken on refugee issues. The Holy Cross Catholic parish in Kakuma is the only one in the world that operates inside a refugee camp.  

  • Lebanon and Jordan - CAFOD works with Palestinian, Iraqi and Syrian refugees, training young people for employment, encouraging children to play, and providing safe spaces for those who have suffered trauma.

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Refugee and Conflict Fund

Your donations towards our Refugee and Conflict Fund will help reach vulnerable people fleeing conflict and poverty all over the world.

Why has CAFOD campaigned for the rights of refugees and migrants?

War, persecution, natural disaster and poverty force millions of people from their homes.

As a development charity, CAFOD campaigns to tackle poverty and injustice. We have been campaigning for refugees and migrants to be protected and treated with dignity because they are often among the poorest and most vulnerable.

People who are already vulnerable – including women, children, the elderly or disabled people – are the ones who face the greatest hardship when they leave their homes. They need special protection. 

We are also inspired by Pope Francis, who has challenged world leaders to do more for the protection of refugees and migrants.

The Catholic community in England and Wales has already shown its desire to reach out to refugees and migrants, through practical support and prayer. In 2016, over 40,000 adults and children sent messages of hope to refugees, inspired by the Lampedusa cross. In 2017, the Catholic community of England and Wales walked over 100,000 miles in solidarity with people forced to flee. 

What are the UN compacts on refugees and migration and what difference will they make?

In 2018, world leaders adopted two new global ‘compacts’ (or agreements) at the United Nations: one on refugees and one on migration. 

These UN compacts are important because they set the direction on how countries will respond to migrants and refugees for years to come.

Pope Francis has spoken of this as a "unique opportunity" for Catholics to put pressure on governments who are not yet stepping up to the challenge of unprecedented global migration. This is our chance to make sure the human dignity of migrants and refugees is at the heart of these agreements. 

More on the UN compacts on refugees and migrants