WORLD REFUGEE DAY 20 June 2004 Final Report
WORLD REFUGEE DAY 20 June 2004 Final Report Public Affairs Unit (Private Sector and Public Affairs Service) Division of External Relations In collaboration with World Refugee Day Focal Points in the Field Introduction and evaluation: Elisabeth Nolet, Annalisa Montecalvo Country summaries: Ross J. Murray-Jones, Julie Vaillot Editing: Annalisa Montecalvo Layout and design: Ross J. Murray-Jones Printing: CopyQuick, Geneva Cover photo: Forum Barcelona 2004/E.Guillamet Children of various nationalities, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie and Mayor of Barcelona and President of Forum Barcelona 2004, Joan Clos, hung lucky charms for refugees on the "Sky of Aspirations" at Forum Barcelona 2004, Spain. Also in the photo, on the left, are UNHCR’s Director of the Division of External Relations, Anne Willem Bijleveld, and the Head of the Public Affairs Unit, Elisabeth Nolet. World Refugee Day 20 June 2004 “A place to call home” STATEMENT BY RUUD LUBBERS U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees All of us need a place to call home - a place where we "belong." But for millions of refugees and displaced people around the world today, home is little more than a distant dream. Fleeing persecution and conflict, often with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, refugees are separated from all that is familiar - from family, friends, work, community and culture. Faced with an uncertain future in a strange land, the sense of loss and alienation can be overwhelming. To lose one's home can be to lose one's very identity. Yet, despite the enormity of their suffering, refugees never give up their dream of "home" and all that it entails - family, acceptance, security, a sense of belonging and self-worth.
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