World Refugee Day 20 June 2020

Joint Statement

The Migration Museum, a member of the Migration Museums Network, coordinated by the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, joins the United Nations in commemorating World Refugee Day on June 20, 2020.  As our world continues to battle widespread xenophobia and inequalities, in many ways made more manifest by the COVID-19 pandemic, World Refugee Day is an important opportunity to shine a light on the injustices suffered by refugees and migrants as well as their resilience and contributions to new communities.

“The Migration Museum has worked with refugee and migrant communities for over three decades, documenting and sharing the continuing contribution that people from all over the globe have made to South Australia” said Migration Museum Director Mandy Paul. “We are delighted to work with our colleagues from migration museums internationally on World Refugee Day to continue this work.”

As a global network of Migration Museums, all of us come together to stress the importance of amplifying the voices of refugees, preserving their histories, and encouraging our communities to take transformative actions to support them. While we represent vastly diverse groups, cultures, and heritages, the museums in this network embrace our joint responsibility to strengthen and care for each other as global citizens. At a time when hopeful expressions of solidarity with the marginalized are taking hold across continents, World Refugee Day is, too, a global call to action. We encourage everyone to take a step, no matter how big or small, in support of the many steps that refugees take in their journeys to find increased safety for themselves and for their families. Learn more about various events that our participating organizations are hosting in recognition of World Refugee Day by following the hashtag #MigrationMuseums and viewing this video.