World Refugee Day: UN Calls for Renewed Commitment and Solidarity

UN News

Chad hosts refugees from conflicts in neighbouring Sudan.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has called on the international community to strengthen support for the nearly 42 million people worldwide who have fled their home countries to escape conflict, violence or persecution.

UN High Commissioner Barham Salih highlighted the contributions refugees make to their host communities as workers, students, neighbours, artists, athletes, entrepreneurs and leaders. 

“Given the opportunity, they rebuild their lives and help strengthen the societies around them,” he said ahead of World Refugee Day, observed annually on 20 June. 

He warned that millions of refugees “find themselves trapped in dependency, relying on a dwindling amount of aid for their daily survival.”  

Marking the day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a message calling for stronger support for people forced to flee and the communities that have welcomed them. 

“As divisions deepen across our world, new and protracted conflicts are compelling millions of women, children and men to seek safety far from home,” he said. 

He stressed that “these turbulent times” call for renewed solidarity and robust action to protect refugees.  

This year’s observation of World Refugee Day also marks the 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention. 

The 1951 treaty, adopted in the aftermath of the Second World War, enshrined that anyone forced to flee war, conflict, or persecution has the right to seek safety and protection. 

According to the UN, by mid-2025, 117.3 million people worldwide remained forcibly displaced by persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order.



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