Refugee Commissioner: 120 continuous conflicts around the world and forcibly displaced the hope of the hope

Grande gave a briefing to the Security Council that he said was likely to be the last for him as a delegate for refugee affairs.

Grande criticized the Security Council for his failure in his mandate of preserving peace and security, but urged him not to abandon diplomacy. He criticized the world’s contempt for international humanitarian law, citing the words of Pope Francis that every war represented a “shameful surrender”.

He added: “Today I address you again with the name of 123 million people who were forcibly displaced … They sought safety – or at least they tried to do so – after they were stuck in devastating situations. But they will continue to hope for a safe return. They – as I know – will not surrender and will not want us to surrender.”

Regarding the situation in Gaza, Grande indicated that the High Commissioner does not participate directly in the United Nations response in Gaza, but the situation of civilians there is “It reaches new levels of despair day after day.”

It is noteworthy that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is in charge of supporting Palestinian refugees and is the backbone of the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip.

Sudan

Philipo Grande highlighted the tragedy of Sudan, as a third of the population was displaced amid violence, disease, famine and sexual atrocities.

He said that civilians are often direct targets, while bureaucracy and politics hinder humanitarian efforts. He referred to his recent visit to Chad, where he met Sudanese refugees fleeing from Darfur, who expressed their satisfaction to escape fear despite the tremendous difficulties.

The Council called for unity, warning that the continuation of the war leads to more disintegration of Sudan, the emergence of local militias and escalating violations, which complicates peace efforts. He warned that the war may lead to great moves of the displaced towards Europe, noting that there are already more than 200 thousand Sudanese in Libya.

Syria

As for Syria, Grande described the raising of the new Syrian flag at the United Nations as a “strong symbol” of a turning point in the country. He urged member states to place the Syrian people over the “worn” political divisions, calling for calculating risks. Despite the recognition that major challenges are still exist 14 years after the war, he confirmed that there is a “glimmer of hope” for the first time in decades.

Since December 8, the numbers of displaced Syrians began to decline with the return of more of them, along with the increasing return from Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. More than a million people have already returned, and polls indicate that more will follow them.

Grande stressed that the stability of the returnees depends on taking immediate measures, such as the reduction of sanctions, support for early recovery, encouraging private investment, and ensuring the provision of security, water, electricity, education and economic opportunities.

He warned that humanitarian aid, which is decreasing sharply, must be preserved and expanded to support Syria’s recovery.

Rohingya crisis

Grande said that the number of Rohingya refugees is 1.2 million refugees, most of them in Bangladesh camps around Cox Bazar. He thanked Bangladesh and its people for providing a haven for the Rohingya over the years.

However, he emphasized that the Rohingya refugees are in the camps, deprived of work, and they are fully dependent on humanitarian aid that is getting more fragile.

Grande asked whether it was surprising that many Rohingya began to have dangerous cruises in search of opportunities or become vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups.

The Council called for maintaining a strong focus on Myanmar and the ordeal of the Rohingya, expressing its hope to make progress at the conference scheduled for September in New York.

Ukraine

Regarding Ukraine, Grande expressed his great concern about recent developments. He referred to his visits to Ukraine six times since 2022, the last of which was last January.

He affirmed the cooperation of the High Commissioner for Refugees with the government and local civil society partners to alleviate the suffering of the population. Grande stressed that the Ukrainian people need a just peace, calling for no more than 10 million Ukrainian displaced people, including seven million refugees.