The letter highlights that we must not forget all those who have fled within their own countries, as well as the root causes of displacement.
At a high level meeting on Refugees and Migrants on 19th September, world leaders agreed to the New York Declaration. The declaration includes assurances to people who have, either voluntary or forcibly, crossed an international border.
The Refugee Convention of 1951 limits the definition of a refugee to a displaced person who has crossed an international border. The problem is that of the more than 65 million people forcibly displaced around the globe, almost 41 million, or more than six out of ten, are displaced within the borders of their own countries. They often fall off the radar. This was also the case for the declaration on 19th September.
Internally displaced people have also fled armed conflict, violence or disasters. Many refugees who flee their homes to survive in other countries, have already moved several times before they cross an international border. It is the lack of support and dire conditions that finally push them to leave their countries to face the often dangerous and uncertain journey across international borders.
