by GUY DINMORE
Developing countries face an overwhelming and growing refugee burden as the number of people fleeing war and conflict reaches the highest level in 15 years, António Guterres, head of the UN refugee agency, said in an appeal to richer nations to increase their share of responsibility.
Presenting the UNHCR’s Global Trends report for 2010 on Monday, Mr Guterres criticised rising anti-refugee sentiment in many industrialised countries despite the fact that four-fifths of the world’s refugees and displaced people are hosted by developing countries.
Speaking in Rome, Mr Guterres noted that of the some 1m people to have fled civil war in Libya this year, only two per cent have arrived in Europe. He appealed for more aid to Tunisia and Egypt to cope with the influx at a time of democratic transition.
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