On June 20th, the World Refugee Day is commemorated to draw attention to the situation for refugees and forcibly displaced people all over the world. In 2011, this day is even more special because of the 60th anniversary year for the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, and it is celebrated shortly ahead of the 60th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention on July 28th. For the Åland Islands Peace Institute, this is a day to reflect on Åland as a host society for refugees as well as the Åland Example as a model of conflict resolution to prevent displacement. In 2009, two reports relating to these issues were published by the Åland Islands Peace Institute. The sociologist Bogdan State published a study on the attitudes and views of Ålanders with regards to migration and integration issues, while Petra Granholm investigated the legal framework for the integration of immigrants on Åland.
The publications are available for download here. Here, you can read a blog post drawing attention to the World Refugee Day 2010, written by the researcher Sara Stephan at the Peace Institute. For more information on the UN celebration of the World Refugee Day, visit www.unhcr.org, or for the campaign promoting public awareness of the stories of individual refugees, visit http://www.unhcr.org/do1thing or www.60years60lives.com.
Palestinian refugees head towards the buses that will take them to Syria after years in Al Tanf.© UNHCR / B.Diab
