That a Global Trends report admits 65 million people as being displaced, clearly underscores an appalling and failing reality of humanity. More stark is the realization that that number could increase by 10 percent this year, if current trends and conflicts do not end.

The United Nations Refugee Agency(UNHCR) included this dismal fact of humanity in a report on Global Trends to mark Wold Refugee Day, 2016. The 65.3 million people displaced represented the first time ever since WWII that the 60 million mark has been crossed in terms on human displacement. Now into 2017, the number has climbed to 65.6 million.

As reported by the Associated Press(AP), UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has reasoned: "I hope that the message carried by those forcibly displaced reaches the leaderships: We need action, political action, to stop conflicts." The refugee head factually inferred: "If you don't solve problems, problems will come to you."

His assessment is true given the current state of the migrant crisis in Europe. Wars in Syria and Afghanistan combine with harsh economic conditions and the impact of extremism in Somalia, have combined to drive hundreds of thousands of migrants to the shores of Europe. With Bashar al Assad still sitting in Syria, the number of displaced people worldwide could climb to greater record numbers by the end of 2017. 

In 2015, according to the data, 24 people were displaced every minute totaling 34,000 per day compared with six people every minute in 2005. The Syrian displaced number 11.5 million - with 6.6 million within Syria and 4.9 million abroad. Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia account for the largest numbers of displaced people. 

Therefore, if the appalling trends of 2015 and 2016 and the first half of 2017 should continue and conflicts are not ended, humanity could witness an even greater number of displaced people by the end of 2017.

[Today's Blog was edited and republished from June 21, 2016.]