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Courage and Resilience of Refugees Commemorated on World Refugee Day
UNHCR’s Global Trends report suggests that over 123 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide. This equates to 1 in every 67 individuals in the world who have been uprooted from their homes due to war, violence and persecution. Türkiye remained among the top refugee-hosting countries globally, with some 3 million refugees - Global Report 2024.
Highlights
- Turkish Vice President Mr. Cevdet Yılmaz announced that more than 273,000 Syrians voluntarily returned from Türkiye to Syria from 9 December 2024 through mid-June, along with 27,000 people who returned to Syria on go-and-see visits to make a well-informed decision about voluntary return. UNHCR estimates that between 8 December 2024 and 19 June 2025, some 596,579 Syrian refugees have returned home from neighbouring countries.
- On 12 June, UNHCR Türkiye surpassed 200,000 voluntary repatriation movements monitored by the office in coordination with the Government. This milestone reflects a 73 per cent coverage of the officially reported figures.
- From 16 to 19 June, the 15by30 Refugee Higher Education Conference took place in Istanbul to highlight the role of higher education in sustainable humanitarian responses, strengthen refugee youth leadership, and advance towards the 15by30 Roadmap. On 16 June, UNHCR Representative Ms. Angela Li Rosi delivered an opening speech and participated in a panel discussion alongside Professor Alexander Betts from the University of Oxford.
- Since 2023, UNHCR and the Turkish Ministry of Youth and Sports have engaged in a unique partnership with the FC Barca Foundation to support refugee and host community youth through sports initiatives in Türkiye. In June, the parties agreed to extend this initiative for another year.