Latin America Celebrates Refugee Day

Each year, on June 20th, the world celebrates the strength, values and endeavor of those millions of people that were forced to leave their homes due to the violence overtaking their countries. In Latin America the World Refugee Day has been celebrated with numerous activities, involving both refugees and local communities.

In Argentina, one of the most representative activities that were celebrated in occasion of the Refugee Day has been the conference “the refugee crisis and humanitarian solidarity” ,which showed different illustrations of the current situation in the Middle East and was held at the Institute of Politics on Human Rights (IPPDH) in Argentina.

In Bolivia, La Agencia de la ONU para los refugiados (ACNUR) has organized a conference together with other institutions, during which the first data of the first demographic census of refugee population were displayed.

In Chile, the municipality of Quilicura carried out a ceremony with the support of ACNUR, on which leaders of different religious beliefs prayed together for all those people who have been forced to leave their countries. Afterwards they organized a cultural party and an international gastronomy fair, both of which had been arranged by the refugee families and immigrants that live in the same community. To conclude the ceremony Magda Medina, national chief of ACNUR, gave a speech and showed a video about local integration in the area.

Colombia also has made its own celebrations and exhibitions for the World Refugee Day. One of them, named “Con los refugiados” (with the refugees), exposed different stories of refugees fleeing their countries.

Costa Rica meanwhile celebrated for the third year the award ceremony “Live the integration”. The award’s main goal is to recognize and reward successful stories of integration in private companies, public organizations and in the civil society.

Finally, other Latin countries like Cuba, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela organized their particular celebrations as well, so to raise awareness of the refugee crisis, which nowadays has become an issue of outmost importance not only for the directly interested countries, but throughout the world.