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The Facts:
- A refugee is a person who has fled or been expelled from their
country of origin because of a natural disaster, military occupation,
war or the fear of persecution.
- An Internally Displaced Person (IDP) is a person who has been
displaced within the borders of his/her country of origin due
to armed conflict, human rights violations or the fear of persecution
on the basis of religion, political belief or race.
- It is estimated that in December 2001 over 25 million people
were internally displaced in 47 countries.
- The continent with the greatest number of IDPs is Africa. It
is estimated that 4 million people have been displaced in both
Angola and Sudan. There are also over 2 million IDPs in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.
- The country with the largest number of IDPs in the Americas
is Colombia, which has over 2 million.
- The part of the world with the most refugees is Southwest Asia.
During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979-1989), over
5 million Afghans took refuge in Pakistan and Iran.
- The break-up of Yugoslavia (1991-1992) caused approximately
4 million people to become refugees by 1994.
- Refugees are required to follow the laws of the country in
which they have taken refuge.
- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is
the organ of the United Nations that is responsible for the protection
of refugees.
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What Can You Do?
- Provide support for non-governmental organizations
that support refugees by volunteering or making a
donation.
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