For Rotarians, as members of a humanitarian organization, peace is a cornerstone of our mission.Rotary creates environments where peace can happen.
We believe when people work to create peace in their communities, that change can have a global effect.
By carrying out service projects and supporting peace fellowships and scholarships, our members take action to address the underlying causes of conflict, including poverty, discrimination, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources.
Our commitment to peacebuilding today answers new challenges: how we can make the greatest possible impact and how we can achieve our vision of lasting change. We are approaching the concept of peace with greater cohesion and inclusivity, broadening the scope of what we mean by peacebuilding, and finding more ways for people to get involved.
As of the end of June 2024, there were an estimated 122.6 million people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes. Among them are nearly 43.7 million refugees. There are also 4.4 million stateless people, who have been denied a nationality and lack access to basic rights such as education, health care, employment and freedom of movement (UN Refugee Agency).“A major contributor to the egregious numbers found in the report is due to war between rival militaries in Sudan which saw 10.8 million uprooted by the end of 2023. Further, millions were internally displaced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Myanmar last year because of brutal fighting. The report said that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) estimated that about 75 per cent of the population in the Gaza Strip – about 1.7 million people – have been displaced. Yet, Syria holds the record in terms of sheer numbers with 13.8 million people forcibly displaced in and outside its borders.
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said, “Behind these stark and rising numbers lie countless human tragedies. That suffering must galvanize the international community to act urgently to tackle the root causes of forced displacement.”