The Contemporary Global Refugee Crisis

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cited the 65.3 million displaced persons in 2015 as the highest since the Second World War. These totals, which are only surpassed by the populations of 20 of the world's most populous countries, point to the intensity of a human crisis of which the refugee regime forms part. More telling of the breakdown of these figures is the whopping 40.8 million internally displaced persons, the 16.1million refugees who are recognized within the UNHCR protective mandate, and an additional 5.2 million Palestinian refugees who are protected by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.