UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Thursday called on the international community to boost efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts that have caused massive displacement, and to find durable solutions for the displaced.
"The number of forcibly displaced people in the world continues to rise. There are now more than 45 million refugees and internally displaced people -- the highest level in nearly 20 years," reported Xinhua citing Ban in his message on the World Refugee Day.
"Last year alone, someone was forced to abandon their home every four seconds," he added.
Referring to the prevailing crisis in Syria as an instance of major displacement, he said the war remained the dominant cause.
The Global Trends report released Wednesday by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) showed at the end of 2012, more than 45.2 million people were in situations of displacement, compared to 42.5 million at the end of 2011.
Ban said the figures give "only a glimpse of this enormous human tragedy".
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According to the UN chief, currently 81 per cent of the world's refugees are hosted by developing countries
"On World Refugee Day, I call on the international community to intensify efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts, and to help achieve peace and security so that families can be reunited and refugees can return home," he said.
World Refugee Day was established by the UN General Assembly in late 2000 and this year focuses on families.