Almost three-quarters of the world's refugees are in a tragic situation due to the coronavirus pandemic. They have lost all livelihoods en masse, so they are unable to pay for their livelihood and even have to cut back on their daily meals.

A report on this subject was prepared by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), an organization that has been operating for 70 years and helps victims of armed conflicts around the world. For its needs, a survey was conducted among 1,400 refugees in 14 countries, incl. in Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Kenya, Libya, Uganda, Somalia, Lebanon and Yemen.

Respondents were asked how their situation has changed since March, i.e. the month in which the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic began to be felt on different continents, which led to the establishment of anti-epidemic restrictions and disruptions in the functioning of economies.

The problem is not only the increasing unemployment among refugees, but also the limitation of external assistance. 62 percent of those who made a living on money sent to them by foreign relatives now receive less. However, 28 percent regrets that aid from humanitarian organizations is also less than before the pandemic.

Today, there are almost 80 million refugees worldwide. This is almost twice as many as 10 years ago. Only last year, there were as many as 9 million of them. Today, refugees account for over 1 percent of inhabitants of the Earth.

The NRC warns that the spending of richer nations to help refugees in these poorer places is declining. In September, only 23 percent of humanitarian appeals from various UN agencies have been funded.

“G20 countries and international financial institutions must put refugees and conflict-ridden people at the center of their response to the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. Without an immediate response, the situation will quickly get out of hand,” the Secretary General of the NRC warned.

(Euractiv.pl)