Refugee Week 2007

In 2001 the United Nations General Assembly established 20 June as World Refugee Day. Since then it has been celebrated around the world each year as a salute to the indomitable spirit and courage of the world's refugees.

The theme for World Refugee Day 2008, was "Protection - A Place to Call Home". There was no resource pack arranged this year, however Caritas did publish a very informative flyer called "Refugee Myths and Realities" Please contact Caritas for more information.

In New Zealand we celebrate Refugee Week in the week in which World Refugee Day (June 20) falls. It's a week in which we ask community groups, faith groups, service groups and schools to remember refugees in some way, perhaps by inviting a refugee speaker to their meeting, including refugee-related material in their services and, where possible, by making a donation to the work which Refugee Resettlement does with refugees.

Previous theme's for World Refugee Day:

In 2007, the theme for World Refugee Day was "The Voices of Young Refugees". Refugee Resettlement produced a resource pack for faith groups. Refugee Week 2007 resource pack (.pdf, 194KB)

The theme for World Refugee Day and Refugee Week in 2006 was 'hope'. Throughout their long and daunting journey from oppression and persecution to asylum and protection, and eventually to a place they can call home, refugees show incredible strength, courage and determination. Their journey is a dangerous and arduous one and every day spent in exile is a day too long.

In every step of their journey refugees carry with them an unshakable, unrelenting hope. By hanging on to their hopes for basic survival, sustenance and protection, and for the chance to one day rebuild their lives, refugees defy all odds.

On World Refugee Day UNHCR asks you to remember the millions of refugees under its care who are trying to pick up the pieces of once-peaceful lives. "As different as they are from each other, one thing connects them all: hope for a better future and a chance to restore lasting peace to their lives. Help us keep that flame of hope alive!"

Refugee Resettlement produced a resource pack for faith groups which focusses on the theme of hope Refugee Week 2006 resource pack (.pdf, 129KB).

In 2006 Refugee Resettlement Wellington joined forces with the Petone Settlers Museum in Lower Hutt to help launch the "Walk with Me: the refugee experience in New Zealand" exhibition. As well as performances from the local Iraqi and Sudanese communities, there were speeches from the Minister of Immigration, David Cunliffe, the Mayor of Lower Hutt, David Ogden and Adam Awad, (.pdf, 43.4KB) spokesperson for the ChangeMakers Refugee Forum.