TIRANA, June 21(Xinhua) -- The Albanian Ministry of Internal Affairs launched on Monday an awareness campaign to help the integration of refugees on the occasion of World Refugee Day.
The campaign aims to demonstrate public support for families forced to flee conflict areas in cooperation with the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), according to Albanian Daily News.
During the event organized at the National Reception Centre for Asylum-Seekers in Tirana, Elona Gjebrea, Albanian Deputy Minister of Interior, said this day comes in a dramatic year regarding the situation of refugees worldwide. Albania welcomes asylum seekers of all nationalities and is prepared to provide them with identity cards and transit documents, he noted.
On World Refugee Day, held every year on June 20, the UNHCR commemorates the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees. This year, it launched a major campaign that asks the world to stand together #WithRefugees. In a stunning video message more than 60 global celebrities join with refugees and aid workers to echo the message, "we stand with refugees, please stand with us". The petition appeals for government action on behalf of the world's forcibly displaced.
Speaking of why the UNHCR was making such a public call to support refugees, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said the number of people forced to flee their homes by conflict and persecution has exceeded 60 million, at its highest since the end of the Second World War.
