June 19, 2017 WASHINGTON—World Refugee Day 2017 will take place June 20th with
celebrations noting the contributions of refugees occurring locally,
nationally and globally. The international day provides an opportunity to
raise awareness about the global refugee situation and the success of
resettled refugees. The world is experiencing the largest forced
migration crisis since World War II with more than 65 million people forcibly
displaced from their homes, including 21 million refugees worldwide. “World Refugee Day is a day where we highlight the achievements of
refugees. Refugees are like all people, unique children of God,” said
Bill Canny, Executive Director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’
(USCCB) Migration and Refugee Services. “We hope to see this year’s
celebration of World Refugee Day create greater awareness and appreciation on
both the community and national level.” As part of the 2017 World Refugee Day celebration, the USCCB will be
hosting a World Refugee Day Kick – Off event at the National Press Club on
Monday, June 19th, featuring Bishop Mario Dorsonville of the
Archdiocese of Washington, DC and Admiral Garry Hall, Special Assistant
to the President and Senior Director for International Organizations and
Alliances, National Security Council. Additionally there will be two panels,
one which focuses on the domestic aspects of refugee resettlement and the
other which highlights the international protection needs of
refugees. This year will be the 17th year that the United Nations has
officially recognized June 20th as World Refugee Day. Many
nations around the globe celebrated World Refugee Day prior to 2001, with one
of the most widespread events being Africa Refugee Day, which had been
celebrated on June 20. Educational materials and other resources for World Refugee Day are
available for download at https://justiceforimmigrants.org/take-action/world-refugee-day/.
For more information on events in your area or to submit an event, email
USCCB/MRS Communications Manager Mark Priceman (mpriceman@usccb.org). --- Keywords: U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Bishop Joe Vazquez, Committee on Migration,
refugees, migrants, immigrants, human trafficking, National Migration Week
#
# # MEDIA CONTACT: Norma
Montenegro Flynn O: 202-541-3200
16-107 Sec,CathPress,DD,DP,DioNews
|
.svg?n=9637){kind=icon}
.svg?n=1962){kind=icon}
