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June 20, 2024 - Environmental degradation endangers people's integrity and has already forced many to flee their place of residence in search of safety. It is time to change the definition and recognize the status of “refugee” for those suffering from the effects of the climate crisis.
June 20, 2024 - It is time to change the definition of “refugee”.
Every June 20 marks World Refugee Day, a date to highlight the courage of people who have had to flee to seek protection and save their lives. In the United States, refugees are called asylum seekers.
The term “refugee” was established in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, an international agreement reached in the aftermath of World War II, a conflict that forced millions of people into displacement.
According to this 1951 agreement, a refugee is a person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country”.
Today, people around the world continue to flee due to social conflicts, authoritarian regimes, democratic deterioration and the emergence of new crises, such as the climate crisis.
People forced to flee their countries due to environmental degradation do not fit the current definition, although they deserve protection.
Countries must update their policies to welcome and protect people in need of protection.
Refugees are an asset to the society that welcomes them. On this Refugee Day, let us challenge the concept of refugee. (This resource is only available in Spanish)