The President of the Republic considered this Monday, World Refugee Day, that the defense of the rights of refugees is “an obligation” of the country and that the Portuguese newspaper demonstrates “inclusion and tolerance” in the reception.
“Portugal and the Portuguese have reaffirmed, demonstrating in their daily lives, the vocation for openness, inclusion and tolerance that characterizes us,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in a statement posted on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic on the internet.
On the occasion of World Refugee Day, the Head of State thanked “the individual and collective effort” of the Portuguesethat they have shown in welcoming people who have fled their countries for many reasons, such as conflict or climate change.
The President added that defending the rights of refugees, “welcome and integrate them, is more than an imperative of conscience, it is an obligation of a democratic, plural society with a future.”
The last year, he said, “has made the reality even more apparent to millions of people around the world. […]. From the Ukraine, from Afghanistan, from Mozambique, I mention only three latitudes where the war, violation of human rights and climate change They have forced millions of people to move and seek protection.”
According to data made available by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), in 2021 there were 89.3 million displaced people worldwide, of which 27.1 million were refugees.
The number is expected to be even higher this year, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine caused thousands of Ukrainians to flee to other countries, with no prospect of returning to their nation.
Source: Observadora
