U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joined several
hundred activists and humanitarian workers June 15 in a
Washington ceremony recognizing and saluting June 20 as
World Refugee Day.
Secretary Rice with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie launch World Refugee Day at the National Geographic Society.
(State Department photo by Michael Gross)
In fiscal year 2004, United States admitted 52,868 refugees of more than 40 nationalities.
Rice said the United States renews its pledge “to keep the hope of the world’s refugees alive.”
Learn more about the refugee
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie, and U.S. Ambassador to UNHCR Dan Spiegel, applaude Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager who provided protection for more than 1,000 refugees during Rwanda’s genocide in 1994. (State Dept. photo by
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees
is the official sponsor of the event in its role as the
world’s leading provider of protection and safety
for refugees. Forced from their homelands in more than 100
separate crises around the world, there are more than 17
million refugees in the world today, the UNHCR reports.
Another 25 million are uprooted within their homelands,
and are considered internally displaced persons.
UNHCR is recognizing the courage of refugees
in the face of their plight, a theme underscored by Rice.
“Some were driven from their homes to avoid warring
factions, others to escape persecution or physical or mental
or sexual abuse at the hands of the government or rebel
forces,” Rice said. “Yet, even as refugees struggle
each day to survive, their resilience, their strength and
their humanity teach us a profound lesson in courage.”
In her remarks, Secretary Rice stated "more
refugees have resettled in the United States than in any
other country in the world. Last year alone, more than 52,000
refugees were resettled here".
During the ceremony, UNHCR presented awards
to three American children who were the winners of a poster
contest under the patronage of UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador
Rice read a letter of congratulation to
the winners from first lady Laura Bush. “Thank you
for your creative work and generosity of spirit, and thanks
to that, the message of need and hope will spread to countless
people, and the lives of refugees throughout the world will
benefit, " the letter said.
Web page for World Refugee Day is posted on the UNHCR
An overview of U.S. refugee programs is
available from the State
Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
The transcript of Rice’s remarks follows:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
June 15, 2005
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
World Refugee Day
At National Geographic Society
June 15, 2005
(11:00 a.m. EDT)
RICE: Thank you very much, Mr. Doherty. It's really a pleasure
to join the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
and the National Geographic Society in celebrating World
Refugee Day 2005. Together we salute the courage of the
world's refugees and all those who work and help to protect
It is fitting that the new UN High Commissioner
for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, should take up his challenging
new assignment today. I look forward to working with him
and continuing the strong relationship that the United States
has enjoyed with the UNHCR.
The commitment of the United States to protecting
and assisting refugees is deep and abiding. This commitment
is a part of our nation's history and it goes to our very
core values. The American people can be proud and the United
States remains the UNHCR's largest donor, contributing more
than three times as much as any other government in 2004.
Thus far, the American people have contributed over $250
million to the UNHCR through its government and hundreds
of millions of dollars in additional funds to other humanitarian
More refugees have resettled in the United
States than in any other country in the world. Last year
alone, more than 52,000 refugees were resettled here. Communities
across our country have opened their doors and their hearts
to refugees, helping them to begin new lives in safety and
President Bush is committed to ensuring
that the United States remains a global leader for refugees.
You can find no stronger supporter of the UNHCR's work than
the President, with perhaps one exception. I now have the
honor of sharing a letter from First Lady Laura Bush, whose
compassion for the world's refugees is matched only by her
devotion to their cause. The First Lady's letter reads:
"Dear Friends, this year, World Refugee
Day spotlights the courage refugees display when forced
to flee their homes, set up a life in a foreign land and
finally take the arduous journey of returning home or being
resettled in another country to start life anew.
"Since the earliest days of our country,
the United States has benefited from the contributions to
our society made by the many courageous refugees who have
resettled here over the years. For 55 years, the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has done an outstanding
job of drawing public attention to the lives of millions
of refugees worldwide. Events like World Refugee Day help
to provide both the information and the inspiration necessary
to motivate the world community to take action.
"To every participant in the World
Refugee Day Poster Contest, President Bush and I send our
admiration for your interest in UNHCR's Education Project
and the investment of your time and talents on behalf of
this great cause. We are also touched by the many imaginative
ways that American schoolchildren express their heartfelt
concern for their neighbors, including those half a world
"To today's contest winners, we send
our warmest congratulations. Thank you for your creative
work and generosity of spirit, and thanks to that, the message
of need and hope will spread to countless people and the
lives of refugees throughout the world will benefit.
"The President and I extend our best
wishes to each person in attendance at this important commemoration
of hope and compassion. May you enjoy your time together
and leave with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.
"With warmest regards, Laura Bush."
Ladies and gentlemen, the theme of this
year's World Refugee Day Celebration -- Courage -- is apt
indeed. Each of the 17 million refugees and other persons
of concern to the UNHCR has a story of courage to tell.
Some were driven from their homes to avoid warring factions,
others to escape persecution or physical or mental or sexual
abuse at the hands of the government or rebel forces. Some
saw family members slaughtered before their very eyes and
their homes and livelihoods destroyed. Boys and girls, some
not even ten years old, had to flee across borders to avoid
being conscripted as child soldiers.
Yet, even as refugees struggle each day
to survive, their resilience, their strength and their humanity
teach us a profound lesson in courage. Today, we also applaud
the bravery of the men and women of the UNHCR who put their
lives on the line to perform their vital humanitarian mission.
UNHCR, we honor you for the magnificent way you carry out
your noble and necessary work.
It's also very fortunate that the world's
refugees have such a dedicated and effective advocate in
UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie. She has visited
the displaced in over 15 countries and on five continents.
Thank you, Ambassador Jolie, for helping to raise the world's
awareness of refugees and for your support for UNHCR's lifesaving
It is also my great honor to share the stage
today with a real life hero, Paul Rusesabagina, and I also
want to say that we talked outside and we decided that 50
isn't so old; it means you're simply mature. (Laughter.)
Paul, you have shown us what true courage
is in the face of evil. When Rwanda descended into genocide,
you, a hotel manager, found the courage to shelter over
1,200 refugees from certain death, putting your own life
in grave jeopardy. This story should give us all the courage
to rise to the moral challenges that come our way.
The young poster contest winners we applaud
today have answered the call of conscience in an exceptionally
creative way. They remind us that all of us can find ways
to help the world's displaced. Congratulations to Jessica
Shenoi and Vicente Echeverria and to Katherine Ricker. I
join President and Mrs. Bush in urging all who enjoy the
blessings of security, prosperity and freedom to give your
support to the millions of men and women and children who
are forced to flee into an uncertain future.
Today, on World Refugee Day 2005, we join
caring people around the globe in renewing our pledge to
keep the hope of the world's refugees alive. Thank you very