JUNE 20, marked as World Refugee Day, has rolled around once again while the world is wracked by social and economic upheaval. Conflict ravages Ukraine, while Afghanistan sinks ever deeper in the mire under a totalitarian regime bent on imposing its socially restrictive worldview. It is an unfortunate reality that the vast majority of refugees live in miserable conditions and are often treated as lesser humans by their host countries. The coming year is likely to bring increased hardship for them. With an economic downturn setting in, donor agencies are likely to be resource-stressed as they make arrangements to accommodate refugees in different regions of the world. Host countries will also feel the economic burden of catering to refugee populations while also taking care of their own. It is times like these that often provide a fatal spark to simmering xenophobia and racism, and world leaders must be increasingly vigilant about protecting refugees from more hurt and harm than they already face.

The Ukraine conflict must also not be allowed to distract the world`s obligation to all the other refugee groups that need support. The world should not need to be reminded that 6.7m refugees from Syria, 5.7m from Palestine, 2.6m Afghans, 4m Venezuelans, 2.2m Sudanese and nearly 1.1m Rohingya refugees also need attention and financial help.

There has been a tendency for world powers to dump the human cost of war on developing nations, which, though they are often struggling with their own issues, play host to more than 86pc of the refugees displaced prior to the Ukraine crisis. As the economic crisis intensifies, the powers that have actively engaged in conflict over the past decades should take greater responsibility for refugees. It is not fair or humane of them to be quite eager to supply bombs and bullets that keep wars going, but curse and complain when asked to clean up the social mess they create in the pursuit of their foreign policy games.