San Francisco Frontiers - UN sounds warning as refugee convention turns 75

At the United Nation's Palais des Nations in Geneva -- where the convention was opened for signature on July 28, 1951 -- UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih urged the world to move from managing sky-high displacement to seeking to resolve it.

"We gather at a time of increasingly politicised debates about refugees and asylum," said Iraqi ex-president Salih, himself a former refugee.

"Too often, people forced to flee become scapegoats for wider social, economic and political anxieties. Too often, refugees are portrayed as burdens or threats rather than as fellow human beings."

Some 117.8 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes at the end of 2025, according to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, down slightly from 2024's record 123.2 million.

Last year's drop was the first in a decade, as conflicts in Iran and Lebanon spurred many refugees hosted there to return home, often under risky circumstances, including to Syria and Afghanistan.

In a message, UN chief Antonio Guterres said that in the aftermath of World War II, states made a solemn promise that no-one fleeing persecution would be returned to a place where their life or freedom would be threatened on account of their race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion.

The convention has since "saved millions of lives", he said.

"Today, that promise is under strain. Conflicts are multiplying, persecution persists, and growing numbers are forced to flee. Meanwhile, the right to seek asylum is too often questioned, restricted, or denied.

The number of people forcibly displaced worldwide has almost doubled in the last decade, but funding for international aid has slumped, not least after the return of US President Donald Trump to the White House.

The United States was by far UNHCR's biggest donor but has dramatically scaled back overseas aid, while other countries are also tightening their budgets.

UNHCR's funding was cut by around 35 percent last year. It shed nearly 5,000 jobs in 2025 -- more than a quarter of its workforce.

N.Wilson--SFF