7,400 Indians filed asylum applications in US in 2017: UN
7,400 people from India filed applications for asylum in the US last year, according to UN Refugee Agency's annual Global Trends report. In total, there are 40,391 asylum seekers from India who submitted claims in different countries. It also noted that by 2017-end, the total number of refugees in India was 197,146 and while there were 10,519 asylum seekers with pending cases. Here's more.
America was the largest recipient of new asylum requests
Receiving asylum claims from the nationals of 168 countries, the US was the largest recipient of new asylum requests in 2017. Salvadorans made up the largest nationality of applicants with 49,500 claims in the US as against 33,600 submitted in 2016. Other nationalities from which there were over 5,000 claims in 2017 were Venezuela (29,900), Mexico (26,100), China (17,400), Haiti (8,600), India (7,400).
68.5mn people forcibly displaced from their home: UN
A record 68.5mn people have been forced to flee their homes due to war, violence, and persecution, notably in places like Myanmar and Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN Refugee Agency report said. The report showed that 16.2mn people were freshly displaced last year. This equates to some 44,500 people being pushed out of their homes every day, UNHCR said.
Afghanistan nationals filed highest asylum claims 80 countries
For the first time since 2013, Syria was not the most common country of origin for new asylum-seekers, the report said. The highest number of asylum claims was filed by the Afghan people who submitted 124,900 claims in 80 different countries. Turkey received the most number of claims (67,400) from Afghans, followed by Germany (16,400) Greece (7,500), France (6,600), and India (4,500).
Bangladesh hosted maximum Myanmar refugees at 932,200
Refugees originating from Myanmar represented the fourth largest population group by country of origin, more than doubling in number from less than half a million to 1.2 million by 2017-end. The majority of refugees from Myanmar at the end of the year were hosted by Bangladesh (932,200). Other countries with sizable populations of Myanmar refugees were Thailand (100,000), Malaysia (98,000), and India (18,100).
Asylum seekers' number rose by around 300,000 to 3.1 million
Asylum seekers, who were still awaiting the outcome of their claims to refugee status as of 31 December 2017, meanwhile, rose by around 300,000 to 3.1mn. People displaced inside their own country accounted for 40mn of the total, slightly fewer than the 40.3mn in 2016.
14 countries preparing blueprint for responding to refugee situations: UNHCR
"We are at a watershed, where success in managing forced displacement globally requires a new comprehensive approach," said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. "But there is a reason for some hope. 14 countries are already pioneering a new blueprint for responding to refugee-situations... a new Global Compact on Refugees will be ready for adoption by UN General Assembly," he added.
