Ghana hosting 13,000 refugees, 12,000 asylum seekers – UNHCR

There are 13,000 refugees and 12,000 asylum seekers currently living in the country, Mrs. Mavis Abo, Protection Associate, at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, (UNHCR) disclosed on Monday.

She expressed concern that commercial activities at the various refugee camps were contributing to environmental depletion, and advised Ghanaians to help revive the depleted environment.

Mrs. Abo was addressing more than 600 students at a forum, organised by the United Nations (UN) through the United Nation Information Center (UNIC) at Fiapre, near Sunyani, to mark this year’s World Environment Day celebration.

The forum dubbed: “joint UN system student outreach programme” was on the theme: “the youth and the environment.”

It was aimed at sensitizing the participants drawn from Sunyani Senior High, Twene Amanfo Senior High and Technical and Notre Damme Senior High Schools, on the causes and effects of climate change, global warming and other environmental challenges.

She said globally, there were 16 million refugees, 12 million stateless people and 26 million internally displaced people.

Source: GNA