"Forced displacement has reached unprecedented levels, with more than 65 million people uprooted from their homes globally. New and recurring conflicts, and ever-more disturbing forms of violence and persecution, are driving people to flee in search of safety within their own countries, or to cross international borders as asylum seekers or refugees..."
As the lead agency for refugees, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), under the leadership of António Guterres from Portugal, is currently responsible for 32.9 million persons. According to UNHCR, this number includes 9.9 million refugees, 12.8 internally displaced persons (IDPs), and 740,000 asylum-seekers. International protection is the core of UNHCR’s work and includes making sure that the basic human rights of refugees are being met and that nobody is returned involuntarily to a country where he or she has reason to fear persecution.
