June 20, 2021 is World Refugee Day — a time to honour the resilience and courage of refugees around the world and to stand in solidarity with those who have been forced to flee their homes. As we reflect on the contributions that people who have experienced displacement bring to communities everywhere, we are also invited to consider the barriers that continue to stand in the way of safety and belonging for millions.

In recent years, the COVID‑19 pandemic exposed how fragile access to protection can be. While the pandemic affected people globally, it placed an especially heavy burden on refugees. Border closures, travel restrictions, and delayed processing compounded already dangerous and uncertain circumstances. For many, the inability to travel meant being stranded in limbo — unable to move forward, yet unable to return home.

Faith communities around the world responded with compassion during this season, offering practical support, prayer, and advocacy for displaced people. These acts of solidarity mattered deeply. Yet despite these efforts, travel restrictions and slow pathways to protection left many refugees in precarious situations, waiting without clear timelines or assurances of what would come next.

When Travel Stops, Lives Are Put on Hold

For refugees, travel is not a convenience — it is a lifeline. Many people who were approved for resettlement or other protection pathways had already taken irreversible steps: leaving jobs, giving up housing, saying goodbye to family members, and preparing for new beginnings. When borders closed and flights were cancelled, lives were abruptly placed on hold.

Already vulnerable situations became more unstable. Families faced growing insecurity, emotional strain, and the erosion of hope as months turned into years. The uncertainty created by travel barriers highlighted a hard truth: systems designed to offer protection can falter precisely when they are needed most.

A Global Challenge That Requires Shared Responsibility

The impact of travel restrictions has been felt across resettlement systems worldwide. Reduced arrivals in many countries led to growing backlogs, extended processing times, and prolonged displacement for tens of thousands of people. These delays are not just administrative — they carry real human cost.

Refugees travel because safety, dignity, and the possibility of a future depend on it. When movement is blocked, so is access to education, employment, healing, and stability. World Refugee Day reminds us that protection must remain a global priority, even — and especially — in times of crisis.

A Call to Reflect, Pray, and Act

On this World Refugee Day, we invite you to pause and reflect on the reality faced by refugees around the world. Honour their perseverance. Learn their stories. Pray for their protection, their resilience, and their hope.

Consider how you — personally or as part of a community — can stand alongside displaced people:

• by deepening your understanding of forced migration,
• by supporting organizations working for protection and durable solutions, or
• by using your voice to encourage compassionate and just responses to displacement wherever you live.

World Refugee Day is not only a moment of awareness, but an invitation — to solidarity, to empathy, and to action rooted in hope.

Learn More

Learn how World Renew responds alongside displaced people in times of crisis and throughout long‑term recovery through our international disaster response work. You can also explore how we walk with refugees rebuilding their lives through refugee sponsorship and resettlement in Canada.