In 2023, UNHCR responded to a sharply higher number of new or deepening humanitarian crises, the highest annual number of declared emergencies of the past 10 years, the UN Refugee Agency said last week.

According to the Emergency Preparedness and Response in 2023 report published on January 19, UNHCR issued 43 emergency declarations to increase support in 29 countries and dispatched 7.4 million relief items to aid up to 16.7 million people worldwide. From its seven global stockpiles, UNHCR said it delivered emergency supplies worth 53.5 million dollars.

Displacement expected to hit 130 million mark

UNHCR expects this trend to persist in 2024 with the number of forcibly displaced people poised to rise to 130 million by the end of the year, according to the report.

"Over the past year, we have seen a staggering increase in emergencies, with new crises unfolding and unresolved ones deteriorating, pushing the boundaries of our capacity to respond," Dominique Hyde, UNHCR director of external relations, was quoted as saying by the agency.

"Whether sparked by conflict, human rights violations, natural disasters or extreme weather events, these emergencies have resulted in a surge of displacement, leaving countless individuals and families in desperate need of humanitarian assistance and protection. The scale of human suffering is unmeasurable and a stark reminder of the imperative for collective action and solidarity," added Hyde.

The crises that prompted UNHCR's response last year

Throughout 2023, the UN Refugee Agency said it responded to a multitude of global crises, providing assistance to millions affected by earthquakes in Syria, Turkey (involving 23.8 million people), and Afghanistan (114,000 people affected and 478,000 forced to return to Pakistan).

The agency also addressed a new conflict in Sudan, resulting in 7.4 million people being internally displaced or forced across borders, and flare-ups of longstanding conflicts in Karabakh (affecting 100,000 refugees) and Somalia.

Furthermore, the UN Refugee Agency intervened in the escalating crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where 7 million people were affected by war in the eastern part of the country. The agency tackled unprecedented mixed movements of refugees and migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as responded to floods in Libya, directly impacting 900,000 individuals in five provinces, and the Horn of Africa, where over 2 million people were displaced due to storms and sudden floods.