Governor Stein Proclaims North Carolina Refugees Welcome Week

North Carolina Refugees Welcome Week 

2026

By The Governor Of The State Of North Carolina

A Proclamation

Whereas, 42.5 million refugees – regardless of faith or country of origin – are making life-and-death decisions to flee their homes to neighboring countries because they are unable to access shelter or protection, and neighboring countries have either closed their borders to new arrivals or 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 country to which they first fled because their life, liberty, safety, health, or fundamental human rights are at risk in the country where they have sought refuge; 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 11,318 resettled from FY 2018 to FY 2024; and

Whereas, organizations responsible for resettling refugees in our communities, as well as numerous other community organizations and religious institutions, have declared their support for resettling refugees in cities and towns throughout North Carolina; and 

Whereas, 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; a recent study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that from 2005 to 2019 refugees and asylees generated a net fiscal benefit of $123.8 billion to the federal government; in 2019, 13 percent of refugees were entrepreneurs; and

Whereas, World Refugee Day is observed annually on June 20 to raise awareness of the millions of refugees worldwide who must 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 residents to commemorate World Refugee Day during the week of June 20, 2026, 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, 2026, as “North Carolina Refugees Welcome Week” in North Carolina and commend its observance to all residents.

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 twenty-sixth day of May in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-sixth and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.