World Refugee Day: Fast Facts About The Celebrations As Angelina Jolie Visits Nairobi

Tuesday, June 20, 2017, was celebrated around the world as World Refugee Day.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) describes the day as when the world commemorates the strength, courage, and perseverance of millions of refugees. Coincidentally, this year’s celebrations also marks the world’s worst refugee crisis in history.

The current crisis has the greatest number of forcibly displaced people with more than 65 million counted, according to the United Nations. That is more than the population of Kenya and Uganda, combined, being forced from their homes because of famine, persecution, war, or violence.

See Also: Pope Francis Washes The Feet Of Refugees In Catholic Ritual

“On average, 20 people were driven from their homes every minute last year, or one every three seconds — less than the time it takes to read this sentence,” says the U.N.

Children are also disproportionately affected by the crisis with statistics showing that more than half of the refugees are under 18. It also notes that a growing number of them are traveling alone.

World Refugee Day Rally

Amnesty International hosted a rally in front of the White House on Tuesday to celebrate refugees’ contributions to the U.S. It also aimed to denounce policies of the Trump Administration which the group feels are discriminatory.

The activist group called on the administration to commit to resettling 75,000 refugees in 2018 with President Trump putting the goal to 50,000. The past administration under President Obama had, however, pledged to admit as many as 110,000 refugees.

Read Also: American Boy Writes Obama To Let Syrian Refugee Boy Come Live With His Family

Angelina Jolie World Refugee Day Celebration

UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie marked World Refugee Day by visiting adolescent refugee girls in Nairobi. She was named ambassador for UNHCR in 2001.

The American actress met with about 200 girls from 5 different nationalities; DRC, South Sudan, Somalia, Burundi, and Rwanda, who live in the Heshima Kenya Safe House and participated in an empowerment project.

In a statement on her visit, Angelina Jolie said:

“Over half of all refugees and displaced people worldwide are women and children. How we treat them is a measure of our humanity as nations. On World Refugee Day, my only ask is that people consider the pain and suffering of young girls like these.”

It is the one-time highest paid actress in Hollywood’s third visit to Kenya where nearly half a million refugees now call home. She acknowledged Kenya’s effort with the refugee crisis and thanked the people and government of the country in her statement.