Conclusion

International news offers us fresh examples of displacement every day. In early 2011, protests across North Africa and the Middle East resulted in not only political change but also instances of forced migration. For example, throughout the year, a growing number of people fled violence in Libya into neighbouring countries in search of international protection. ¹ Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Middle East, one of the largest mass displacements of the last half century continued to affect Iraq and its neighbors. By January 2010, some 1.8 million Iraqi refugees remained in Jordan and Syria while over 1.5 million Iraqis continued to be internally displaced. ² In addition to these situations, thousands more people fled their homes in search of security and safety in other parts of the world. Many entered refugee camps or lived on the margins of overcrowded cities in the developing world. Many will remain in these conditions for many years and even decades, trapped in protracted refugee situations.