World Refugee Day is observed every year on June 20. According to a June 2008 report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the total number of people considered as refugees and internally displaced people amounts to 67 million.

On this day, it is important to reflect on how climate change, poverty, and conflicts (both long-standing and new) have ravaged the lives of millions of people who were forced to flee from their homes. It is also important to take this moment to pressure our government to provide more resources to assist and protect this vulnerable and sometimes forgotten population.

According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, the number of refugees and displaced people are expected to continue to increase: "Now, unfortunately, with the multiplication of conflicts and the intensification of conflicts, the number is on the rise again...people being forced to move, unfortunately, will be one of the characteristics of the 21st century."

Over the past year, much of the increase in the number of refugees and internally displaced people can be attributed to conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

For the past year, UUSC's Civil Liberties Program has focused on The Cost of Iraq: Who Pays the Price?, drawing attention to, among others, the millions of Iraqis who have been displaced by the war. Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, almost 5 million Iraqis have been forced from their homes by violence and insecurity. Almost half of those are "internally displaced," having fled elsewhere in Iraq. Others have fled to Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Syria, and other neighboring countries. Because the vast majority of these refugees do not have an official refugee status, they could be deported back to Iraq at any time. They face challenges in finding housing and employment, obtaining food, and accessing health and education systems, particularly in host countries.

The lack of security and the political deadlock in Iraq have contributed to this situation. These issues need to be addressed in earnest by members of the international community, especially the United States.

According to a June 28, 2008, article in the Christian Science Monitor, Sweden is home to the largest number of refugees in Europe, 40,000; while the United Kingdom houses about 22,000. To date, only 8,000 Iraqis have been settled in the United States. Recently, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledged that the United States will process applications for 12,000 Iraqi refugees by September. While this is good news, much, much more needs to be done for the millions of Iraqis displaced by the war.

UUSC supports legislation to assist Iraqi civilians and calls on Congress to increase funding for programs authorized under the Torture Victims Relief Act. We also advocate increased assistance for internally displaced Iraqis, Iraqi refugees in the region, and Iraqi refugees resettling in the United States.