International Migrants Day 2023: Afghan migrants on top 5

Today is International Migrants Day 2023. It was on December 18, 1990 that the United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

The United Nations pays special attention to this day. The announcement of the International Migrants Day by the United Nations is considered an important step. Of course, supporting immigrants in the world should not only be at the level of words and slogans. Immigrants face mistreatment in countries like Turkey.

International Migrants Day 2023 and number of world migrants

The number of people who leave their country and immigrate to other countries is increasing day by day. According to the World Development Report, by the year 2023, About 184 million people which is 2.3 percent of the world’s population, live outside of their country of nationality, almost half of whom are in low- and middle-income countries.

This number if definitely more as there are also a noticeable number of undocumented migrants that had to leave their country for variety of reasons.

In the last 50 years, the number of immigrants has more than tripled. Due to problems such as war, disease, natural disasters, economic problems, political tensions and disruption of social order, people leave their country and immigrate to other countries, looking for a much more comfortable life.

Facts about forced migrants

As conflicts become more complex, global migration is at an all-time high, with one percent of the human race displaced.

68% of all refugees come from just five countries (Syria has the largest number of asylum seekers in the world, followed by Venezuela, Afghanistan, Sudan and Myanmar).

The number of refugees going to Europe has decreased significantly.

Approximately 95% of resettlement needs and requirements are not met by host countries, which requires great urgency.

40% of refugees are children. (About 34 million children and youth are displaced from their homes worldwide.)

International Migrants Day 2023 and Afghan migrants

In 2023, many developments caused massive migrations, including the deportation of more than one and a half million Afghan refugees from Pakistan, adding to six million internally displaced people in Afghanistan, the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the war in Gaza and Climate change.

Several decades of war, poverty, unemployment and the lack of proper living facilities are among the main reasons for the migration of Afghans in the last few decades.
A number of them go to European countries, America, Canada and other developed countries to start a better life, but millions of people Others are facing various problems in the countries of the region, including Iran and Pakistan.

According to the recent report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of Afghan refugees in 2023 has reached 8.2 million in 103 countries.

The report of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which was published in the middle of this year’s Gemini month, shows that only in 2021 and 2022, about 3.6 million Afghans have migrated to different countries.

Most of the Afghans who immigrated after the re-establishment of the Taliban in August 2021, cited security threats, unemployment and economic problems as the reason for their migration.

Due to the neighborhood and linguistic, religious, cultural commonalities, and most importantly, the country’s long-term history of hosting Afghan immigrants, Iran is known as the first destination for people to immigrate. According to statistics, 55 percent of Afghan immigrants are present in Iran, and after the collapse of the republican system, 70 percent, equivalent to two million and 489 thousand Afghan citizens, have sought refuge in this country.

Pakistan with 18% followed by Turkey and Europe with 11% of asylum seekers have been the second and third destinations of Afghan citizens.

In a message on this occasion, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that they emphasize the urgent need for safe migration management that is rooted in solidarity, partnership and respect for human rights.