International aid organsation Oxfam on Monday stated in a report that the six richest countries – United States, China, Japan, Germany, France and UK – host less than 9% of the world’s refugees. These countries account for nearly 60% of the global economy. A total of 2.1 million refugees live in here, of which nearly a third are in Germany alone.
The world’s poor countries shoulder most of the burden, the report said. Nearly 12 million refugees are hosted by Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Palestine, South Africa and Pakistan, which have a less than 2% share in the world’s economy. According to the report, more than 65 million people around the world have been forced to flee from their homes because of war, conflict and poverty. This, Oxfam says, is the highest figure since refugee records came into existence.
The report noted that the six richest countries had provided $ 2 billion (1.34 lakh crore) in international aid to the United Nations, but cautioned that “providing aid cannot absolve rich countries from their moral and legal responsibilities to welcome more refugees.” Moreover, it stated that "aid should not be used by governments to put pressure on developing countries to host refugees and stop people from moving."
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