Aboul Gheit said during a speech he addressed to the Preparatory Economic and Social Council, which met in the Saudi city of Jeddah, as part of the preparations for the 32nd ordinary Arab summit, that “there is an accumulation of serious challenges and their overlapping, to which the Arab structure and its fundamental pillars are still exposed, and that these challenges are intertwined and have a profound impact.” And this has produced a new wave of displacement and asylum in the Arab region, and cast a shadow over different aspects of life, in a way that continues to seriously threaten Arab national security in its various security, economic and social pillars.
Aboul Gheit called for the strengthening of joint Arab action in the economic and social fields, to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable groups within Arab societies.
What are the causes of displacement?
Local people are forced to leave their areas and migrate to other areas in the hope of gaining safety and getting away from dangerous places, whether that danger is caused by conflict, violence or natural disasters , and according to the Center for Internal Displacement, “conflict and violence has displaced 28.3 million people worldwide, three times the annual average for the past decade.
He pointed out that the highest number of displaced people last year, which stood at 32.6 million, was due to disasters, including floods, droughts and landslides. “Conflicts and disasters have combined over the past year to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities and inequalities between people, causing displacement on a scale never seen before,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who established the center in 1998.
Arab countries welcome immigrants
In a report published last July on immigrants in 2020, it was stated that Arab countries hosted around 15% of the world’s immigrants and refugees (41.4 million immigrants and refugees), and 12 countries in the region hosted 14% of the world’s migrant workers.
The report highlighted that around 9.3 million refugees have traveled to the region to seek protection, including 3.6 million refugees covered by the mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees.
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