World Refugee Day

World Refugee Day, observed on June 20 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world. According to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention, a refugee is someone who fled his or her home and country owing to "a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion." Many refugees are in exile to escape the effects of natural or human-made disasters.