Global overview of asylum in 2019

• Pages: 15-23

EASO Asylum Report 2020

15

Section 1. Global overview of asylum in 2019

To provide context for developments in the field of asylum in Europe, Section 1 presents a global

overview of forced displacement and the need for protection worldwide. The section covers recent

           

to larg e refugee movements. Two topics which have gained attention over recent years in the

global context are addressed: statelessness an d the emerging phenomenon o f displacement due

to environmental reasons, which falls outside of the EU acquis. A glimpse at the broader landscape

helps to set the scene for trends in asylum in the European Union which unfolded in 2019.

Forced displacement due to conflict, persecution, human rights violations, natural disasters and

degrading ecosystems is a reality for millions of people across the globe who flee their homes in search

of security for themselves and their families. Those seeking protection find refuge either within their

home country or by crossing international borders.

Official statistics distinguish between two groups of forcibly displaced persons: a) refugees and asylum

seekers who have crossed international borders; and b) internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are

displaced within t heir own country. The 1951 Refugee Convention provides the common definition

for the first group as           -founded fear of being

persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or

 1 and crossed an international border to seek safety.

There is no internationally-agreed legal definition for IDPs, even though guidelines exist, according to

which IDPs are "persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their

homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of

armed conflict, situations of generalised violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-

made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally-recognised s .2 As such, IDPs

legally fall under the jurisdiction of their own government and relevant national and international

laws.

Both refugees and IDPs find themselves in need of substantial material and psycho-social support,

often facing challenges to receive, access and effectively benefit from such support. Apart from

emergency responses and short- to medium-term arrangements, countries struggle to find durable

solutions. Voluntary repatriation of forcibly displaced individuals (including asylum seekers, refugees

and IDPs), which c an be considered to be the preferred long -term outcome, is at times not possible

due to the persistence of the original c auses of di splacement, such as a lack of political solutions to

protracted conflicts and recurrent violence in the country of origin.3

A number of events a round the world have resulted in major displacements over the past few years

due t o conflict (Afghanistan, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia,

South Sudan a nd Syria), ongoing widespread, systematic, grave human rights violations (Myanmar/

Rohingya) and severe political instability and economic hardship (Venezuela).4