UN Chief Calls for Global Cooperation on Refugee Situation

(MENAFN) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a stark warning Monday that worldwide displacement conditions have deteriorated sharply since international leaders last convened to address refugee challenges, pointing to escalating warfare, mounting migration flows, stricter border policies, and severe reductions in relief budgets.

The second Global Refugee Forum Progress Review, coordinated jointly by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Swiss government, commenced Monday in Geneva.

Guterres delivered remarks via video transmission, emphasizing the critical need for enhanced assistance to nations providing sanctuary to displaced populations. He underscored that developing and emerging economies currently shelter nearly three-quarters of the planet's forcibly displaced persons.

Advocating for expanded measures to integrate refugees into host nation workforces and foster economic independence, he said: "We must boost refugee inclusion and self-reliance a dignified way to unlock human potential. Lift up local economies and lower dependency on aid."

Guterres further emphasized the necessity of broadening so-called third-country solutions, including family reunification and resettlement, acknowledging that for some refugees "there simply are no local solutions."

He referenced recent positive developments, including the repatriation of approximately one million Syrians to their homeland during the preceding twelve months, commending international organizations engaged in protection operations.

The UN chief also paid tribute to High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, thanking him for championing protection efforts during what he described as some of the largest humanitarian crises in modern history.

Guterres urged continued global cooperation "to invest in refugees and those communities and to defend and uphold the right to seek asylum and protection, a fundamental pillar of international law."

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