100 million people forced to flee. Some remain within their own countries, doing all they can to stay out of harm’s way. Others have crossed an international border, exiled by war, violence or persecution.

With global forced displacement at a new record high, it’s vital to recall that everyone has a right to seek safety – whoever they are, wherever they come from, and whenever they are forced to flee.

Over the past seven decades, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has worked with countries all over the world to help displaced people find protection and rebuild their lives. Along the way, it has gathered well over 100,000 photographs that show what it really means to have to flee your home.

To help bring some of this history to life, UNHCR reached out to me. Keeping in mind the power of colour to “influence and change our emotions”, we eagerly set to work on a small selection of photos that are by turns joyful, poignant, uplifting, and heartrending.

Together, these images remind us what’s possible when nations ensure access to safety, act in solidarity and work for solutions.

See “The Colour of Flight”