20 June 2016 - 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. Forced displacement at the global level has reached unprecedented levels, with more than 65 million people uprooted from their homes globally.

Since the beginning of the year, thousands of migrants and refugees crossed the Mediterranean in unseaworthy dinghies and flimsy boats. Unfortunately, 2,859 of them did not survive this perilous journey – a tragic testimony to our collective failure to properly address their plight. A good number of them attempted this journey into the unknown from Libya, and many bodies drifted back to the shores of Libya where they were finally buried.

In Libya, where a humanitarian crisis rages unabated, refugees, asylum seekers and migrants face significant protection issues and humanitarian needs, including denied or very limited access to healthcare, education and other basic services. In the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Libya the total number of persons in need under the category of migrants and refugees is 250,000 out of which 100,000 persons are refugees and asylum seeker. In addition, the most recent figures recorded by IOM talk about 417,123 internally displaced persons (IDPs). Despite the dire needs, the HRP remains poorly funded thus not enabling a proper humanitarian response to the needs of the affected persons.

The World Refugee Day is a moment for taking stock of the devastating impact of war and persecution on the lives of those forced to flee, and honoring their courage and resilience. It is also a moment for paying tribute to the communities and States that receive and host them. Many of these positive examples are from our region. There are many host Libyan communities that have been providing essential aid to the refugees crossing their territories, albeit with limited means and resources. We salute them, and we pledge to assist them to the best of our ability.

There is an urgent need to build on and amplify these positive examples. Our response to refugees must be grounded in our shared values of responsibility sharing, non-discrimination, and human rights and in international refugee law, including the principle of non-refoulement. We must stand together with the men, women and children who flee their homes each year, to ensure that their rights and dignity are protected wherever they are, and that solidarity and compassion are at the heart of our collective response.