Houston World Refugee Day
World Refugee Day was established in 2001 by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to honor the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children forced to flee their homes under the threat of persecution, conflict and violence.
Since 2003, the Houston Refugee Consortium has honored refugees at the annual World Refugee Day event which is hosted in partnership with the City of Houston, UNHCR, and many community partners.
The Houston Refugee Consortium is a partnership of six organizations serving refugees in Houston; the Alliance for Multicultural Community Services, Bilingual Education Institute, Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston, Interfaith Ministries, Refugee Services of Texas and YMCA International Services.
For the past few years, Houston has led refugee resettlement nationally, welcoming more refugees than any other city in the United States. Every year, thousands of refugees from all over the world resettle in the greater Houston area.
Since 1978, refugees have been rebuilding their lives in Houston and contributing to our city in many ways. For that reason, we honor and celebrate their strength and perseverance on World Refugee Day