Today June 20 is World Refugee Day. This year, World Refugee Day focuses on the power of inclusion and solutions for refugees under the theme ‘Hope away from home.’ See
Good Shepherd Mission partners in the new Southern Europe Region with Italy and Malta as the pioneers have been actively engaged in drawing attention to the situation in Europe See They have posted their reflection for the day on their Website and have been engaged over the years in drawing attention to the issues while acting locally, and advocating nationally and internationally.
This is also featured on page 4 of Embrace the World April Edition; Spanish; French
Our action at the GSIJP Office is focusing on the situation in Sudan, collaborating with a number of NGOs and publishing a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan and for the safe return of refugees to their homeland.
Tomorrow, June 21 there is a special briefing on the issue where the statement will be distributed.
On 17 December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly affirmed the Global Compact on Refugees, after two years of extensive consultations led by UNHCR with Member States, international organizations, refugees, civil society, the private sector, and experts.
Key facts and figures from UNHCR
Filippo Grandi is the 11th United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He was first elected by the UN General Assembly on 1 January 2016 for a five-year term. The General Assembly has since twice re-elected him to serve, and he will now complete his term on 31 December 2025. The address of the Filippo Grandi today is from Kenya where there are promising developments afoot. See
“The 2021 Refugee Act and the now aptly renamed Shirika Plan will provide not only an enhanced protection environment for refugees but will also improve the lives of the communities that have hosted them for years, if not decades. And the refugees’ economic inclusion will, in turn, further benefit the local and Kenyan economies, as we see in Kakuma and Kalobeyei in Turkana County, where efforts supported and nurtured by donors, including international financial institutions and the private sector, are bearing fruit. I should say partners, even more than donors. And as we will see surely in Dadaab and Garissa County in the future. We heard the two Governors speak eloquently about this earlier today and we saw it yesterday once again in Turkana County.” See
A quotation from our position paper on migration sums up our Good Shepherd approach Spanish; French
- “We embrace our Judeo-Christian spiritual foundation that rests on a commitment to “welcome
the stranger.” GS’s first response to migrants and refugees is to welcome them as one would
welcome the Divine among us. We honor the culture and heritage each brings and we celebrate the positive contributions newcomers make to the lives and development of host communities. The service needs of persons in resettlement or status regularization are extensive, including language skills, health care, social integration, trauma healing, employment skills, legal help, etc. We listen to their experiences, accompany them, develop programs and work in partnerships to serve complex needs and to facilitate self-empowered social participation.”
We pay tribute to all in our ministries and projects who respond to the needs of refugees.
