Today is World Refugee Day

Millions of people around the world today are celebrating a holiday which will not get much attention in the United States. It is World Refugee Day. This is the sixth year that the UN High Council on Refugess will devote a day to recognizing the struggle of millions of refugees throughout the world who have been forced from their homes. This year the theme is "Hope".

Kofi Annan had this to say in a special address

"Let this day serve as a reminder of our responsibility to help keep hope alive among those who need it most – the millions of refugees and displaced who are still far from home,"

Here are some statistics from the UN Website:

* 8.4 million are refugees who have fled their countries due to civil wars and ethnic, tribal and religious violence and who cannot return home
* 6.6 million are internally displaced persons - people forced to flee their homes, but who have not crossed a border
* 2.4 million are stateless people
* 1.6 million are returnees
* 773,000 are asylum seekers
* 960,000 are others of concern