UNITED NATIONS, June 20 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for global efforts to protect the 43.4 million refugees across the globe in a video message on World Refugee Day.

"From Sudan to Ukraine, from the Middle East to Myanmar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond, conflict, climate chaos and upheaval are forcing record numbers of people from their homes and fueling profound human suffering," Guterres said.

According to the latest figures, a total of more than 120 million people around the world are forcibly displaced, including 43.5 million refugees.

World Refugee Day, celebrated annually on June 20, is about honoring their strength and courage, and stepping up efforts to protect and support refugees on every step of their journey, the UN chief said.

Refugees need global solidarity and the ability to rebuild their lives in dignity, said Guterres, adding "when given the opportunity, refugees make significant contributions to their host communities, but they need access to equal opportunities and to jobs, housing, and healthcare."

Noting that young refugees need quality education to achieve their dreams, he said host countries -- mostly low- or middle-income countries -- need the support and resources to fully include refugees in societies and economies.

"Let us pledge to reaffirm the world's collective responsibility in assisting and welcoming refugees, in upholding their human rights including the right to seek asylum, in safeguarding the integrity of the refugee protection regime, and ultimately, in resolving conflicts so that those forced from their communities can return home," the UN chief concluded.

World Refugee Day, an international day designated by the United Nations to honor refugees around the globe, was set for the first time on June 20, 2001 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. ■