Governor Stein Proclaims North Carolina Refugees Welcome Week

North Carolina Refugees Welcome Week

2025

By The Governor Of The State Of North Carolina

A Proclamation

Whereas, 32.7 million refugees are making life and death decisions to flee their home country because they are unable to access shelter or protection. However, neighboring countries can close their borders to new arrivals or similar violence persists in those countries as well; and

Whereas, resettlement provides a safe haven in a third country when refugees cannot return home and cannot rebuild their lives in the neighboring country because their life, liberty, safety, health or fundamental human rights are at risk in the country where they have sought refuge; and

Whereas, welcoming the oppressed and persecuted has been a foundation of the United States. Resettlement to the U.S. is available only for those who demonstrate the greatest and most immediate need for protection and takes place after eligible refugees undergo a rigorous selection, security vetting, and medical screening process; and

Whereas, North Carolina has a proud history of welcoming refugees by offering a safe and thriving environment to support displaced persons and families seeking a new beginning, including 6,701 resettled during FFY23-24; and

Whereas, organizations responsible for resettling refugees in our community, as well as numerous other community organizations and religious institutions, have declared their support for resettling refugees in cities and towns throughout North Carolina. Refugees are able to integrate into our State and quickly become self-sufficient and successful - paying taxes, supporting local commerce, and filling needed positions with North Carolina employers; between 2005-2014, refugees contributed a total of $269.1 billion to the U.S. economy, far surpassing the $206.1 billion spent assisting them; in 2015, 13 percent of refugees were entrepreneurs; and

Whereas, North Carolina has provided supportive and welcoming resettlement resources for nearly 2,000 Afghans, many of whom worked with U.S. troops abroad; likewise, North Carolina has provided support and welcoming resettlement resources for nearly 2,000 Ukrainians fleeing the ongoing conflict in their home country; and

Whereas, World Refugee Day is observed annually on June 20 to raise awareness of the millions of refugees worldwide who are forced to flee their homes due to persecution, war, or violence, and to celebrate the multiple contributions they make in their new hometowns; and

Whereas, the state of North Carolina encourages its citizens to commemorate World Refugee Day during the week of June 20, 2025, by participating in local events and by expanding their knowledge of refugees, as well as the global issues and conflicts that bring them into our communities;

Now, Therefore, I, Josh Stein, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim June 20-26, 2025, as “North Carolina Refugees Welcome Week” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this twentieth day of May in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-fifth and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.