75 years on, Refugee Convention's promise tested as displaced families face bitter winter in Durban.
As the number of people forced to flee their homes reaches unprecedented levels, the UN Refugee Agency's Southern Africa office is urging SA and the world to remember that behind every refugee statistic is a person whose life has been turned upside down, but whose hopes, dreams and ambitions remain.
Marking the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the organisation has joined 75 global voices in reaffirming what it calls "The Promise of the Refugee Convention" – a pledge to protect people forced to flee war, violence and persecution.
"From the ashes of the Second World War came a solemn promise: a promise to protect people forced to flee war, violence and persecution.
"Today, with forced displacement at record levels, we must renew that promise. This is one of the defining challenges of our time. But it is also a test of our shared humanity. We can and must respond."
