Today, the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) observes World Refugee Day, which aims to shed light on one of the most important issues of our time; the forced internal and external displacement of people due to war and persecution.
‘Refugee’ is an umbrella term that not only refers to the traditional notion of people who flee their own land due to a ‘well-founded fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion’, but also to other types of displacement. The three other main subcategories of refugees are 1) asylum seekers, i.e. people who have arrived to a recipient country and aim to gain permanent residency there 2) internally displaced persons, i.e. people who have not left their home country but have been forced to move to another area within it; and 3) stateless persons, i.e. people who do not possess a recognised nationality and therefore do not belong to any country.
During the second half of the twentieth century, the United Nations developed two legal instruments aimed at helping refugees around the world establish themselves in new locations where they can live peacefully. The 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Refugee Protocol state that any refugee deserves the same treatment enjoyed by non-persecuted foreign nationals and even nationals in any given country.
How much do you know about the forced migration movements happening across the globe? Put your knowledge to the test by answering the following quiz and then check your answers by listening to speeches 22436 (ES), 28103 (PT) & 22325 (TR).
- Approximately how many of the people currently living in the world’s deserts could be forced to move due to the effects of climate change?
- Name a country that welcomed a great number of people fleeing their home countries during the WWII
- According to international experts, approximately how many people will be forced to abandon their own lands due to the havoc caused by global warming and will therefore become what are known as ‘climate refugees’?
As interpreters, we work daily with speakers of other languages and cultures, and it is therefore of utmost importance we recognise, accept and welcome all people.
Happy practice!
Your Speech Repository Team