World Refugee Day is an international day of recognition led by the United Nations that honours refugees around the world — people who have been forced to flee conflict, persecution or crisis. It's a day to acknowledge their resilience, to recognise their rights, and to affirm that seeking safety is a human right, no matter where you're from or how far you've travelled. World Refugee Day also shines a light on the barriers that still exist. Barriers like closed borders, failing systems, and support that too often falls short. But more than anything, it's about hope. It's about reminding the world that refugees are not defined by what they've lost, but by the lives they're rebuilding.
World Refugee Day is held every year on 20 June. It's marked globally by schools, community groups, places of worship, refugee-led organisations and international agencies alike. While the day is led by the United Nations, the spirit of it belongs to everyone. It's a chance for people everywhere to walk alongside those forced to flee, and to recognise that safety should never be out of reach.
We celebrate World Refugee Day to honour the resilience, strength and humanity of people who have been forced to leave their homes. We recognise their rights and affirm that seeking safety is not a crime, but a basic human right. We celebrate to shine a light on injustice. To raise the voices of displaced people. And to challenge the systems and attitudes that keep them in danger, in limbo, or locked out. But most of all, we celebrate because there is more to refugees than their stories of loss and displacement. They are community leaders, carers, creators and change-makers. People with rich lives and futures. World Refugee Day is a moment to see them fully, and publicly stand with them.