Global displaced population passes 100m for first time

Combine this with the 8m currently condemned to roam throughout Ukraine without a home, and the 6m who’ve managed to escape (or been exiled from) the country’s borders, and there’s the extra 14m for where we find ourselves today.

Compounding the crisis, the overall situation is being exacerbated by major weather events such as cyclones, floods, and storms, which are becoming increasingly severe as our climate warms.

We’ve recently written about how – particularly in coastal regions – the resulting damage is prompting internal migration within countries like Bangladesh, and is leading to problems with overpopulation and worsening living conditions.

Meanwhile, many developing territories within Latin America, Africa, and Asia are still dealing with the fallout wreaked upon them by Covid-19 and a lack of infrastructure to navigate it safely. The report states that this too is a significant influence in the latest displacement figures.

The extent of each contributing factor will be narrowed down more precisely in the UNHCR’s Global Trends report on June 16, so potential solutions can start to be weighed up logistically.

As things stand today, however, we’re worryingly reliant on humanitarian work and the compassion of volunteers to make any notable difference. As Grandi explains, ‘Ultimately humanitarian aid is a palliative, not a cure.’

‘To reverse this trend the only answer is peace and stability so that innocent people are not forced to gamble between acute danger at home or precarious flight or exile.’

In terms of a genuine roadmap to curbing the growing numbers of displaced people, things are still sounding vague as ever. We’ll see what developments crop up over the coming weeks.