Refugee Commissioner: The world is facing a “perfect storm” of crises, and solidarity saves lives

Filippo Grandi – in his speech at the opening of the 2025 Global Refugee Forum – referred to “the endless atrocities committed in Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza and Myanmar.”

Grande said: “All this in a global context in which hatred is increasingly allowed to spread and, as it sadly proves, fuel racial divisions The horrific massacre committed yesterday against the Jewish community in Sydney.”.

He warned that the past year also witnessed refugees being subjected to distortion and false accusations in many places, as well as “the sudden, radical, irresponsible and short-sighted collapse of foreign aid continuing to destroy the relief sector.”

But he stressed that “We cannot allow this to discourage us, and we will never give in to discouragement.”reminding that “Solidarity saves lives”.

Belief in the potential of refugees

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees noted that Global Compact on Refugees “It is the map that will continue to guide us on a journey that began nearly 10 years ago.”

He explained that since the last forum in 2023, “Nearly 3,500 individual pledges and 47 multi-stakeholder pledges have been made, with more than $2.6 billion already disbursed.”.

He highlighted inclusive national policies, saying Uganda had demonstrated “What it means to believe in the potential of refugees”while the temporary protected status granted by Colombia to Venezuelans “A real turning point during my term.”. He said similar leadership had been shown by Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Brazil.

Regarding financing, Grandi called for… “More high-quality financing”He urged early disbursement of financial pledges to avoid any interruption in life-saving and life-changing aid.

A painful and sad experience in Sudan

Grandi spoke about his recent visit to Sudan last week, which was his last mission as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. And he said: “It was a painful and sad experience. The scale of the devastation I witnessed, and the depth of the psychological trauma inflicted on the Sudanese people, are horrific.”.

He added that it was difficult to hear the displaced Sudanese women in Al-Dabbah describe the sexual violence they had been subjected to. He said that “What is even more difficult is explaining that UNHCR and its partners cannot provide all the assistance they need due to lack of funding. What a shame that casts a shadow over international solidarity.”.

The situation in Syria

He touched on the situation in Syria, warning that it is not possible to talk about solutions to forced displacement today without thinking about the situation in Syria, given the tremendous changes witnessed in the past twelve months, which enabled the voluntary return of large numbers of Syrians, exceeding 3 million people, including 1.2 million refugees.

He confirmed that “Syria today is at a critical crossroads”It requires huge investments for reconstruction, providing job opportunities, ensuring access to basic services, and of course ensuring security to maintain the sustainability of the return of refugees and displaced persons.

Grande said: “This is where humanitarian relief, long-term development, peace and human rights meet.”.