The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | UNHCR
UNHCR press conference: Record global refugee figures: UNHCR chief reveals 2019 flagship report
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi discusses the findings in UNHCR’s flagship annual report, Global Trends in Forced Displacement. The report, which details the figures in the numbers of refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people as of end 2019, will be launched on Thursday, June 18.
TITLE: Record global refugee figures: UNHCR chief reveals 2019 flagship report
FILE NAME: 20200616_e_che_global-trends-press-conference-INT
COUNTRY: Switzerland
LOCATION(S): Geneva
SHOOT DATE(S): 16 June 2020
LANGUAGE(S): English
SOURCE: UNHCR
CREDITS: Boris Weber and Mèlik Benkritly, camera-edit
DURATION: INT – 6:16
RELEASE DATE: UNDER EMBARGO – Releasable on Thursday, 18 June 2020, at 0500 GMT
LEDE-IN: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi discusses the findings in UNHCR’s flagship annual report, Global Trends in Forced Displacement. The report, which details the figures in the numbers of refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people as of end 2019, will be launched on Thursday, June 18.
SHOTLIST:
On the findings of the 2019 Global Trends in Forced Displacement report:
00:00 CLIP Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (man, English): “This almost 80 million figure, the highest that the UNHCR has recorded since these statistics have been systematically collected, is, of course, a reason for great concern. This is, by the way, approximately one per cent of the world's population. We've never reached this very significant percentage.”
00:25 CLIP Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (man, English):
“68 per cent of all these people are from five countries, have five nationalities. Only five. Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar. You know what this means. If crisis in these countries were solved, 68 per cent of the global forced displacement would probably be on its way to being solved.”
On the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on forcibly displaced populations:
00:55 CLIP Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (man, English):
“Other issues of concern related to the pandemic is the closing of the borders. A hundred and sixty-four countries have either closed totally or partially their borders. And in various ways, this has affected, also, the quest for asylum. The impact on livelihoods -- I don't need to tell you, you know, that I've spoken about this a lot -- if we don't have yet a health emergency among refugees, perhaps we certainly have an emergency of livelihoods.”
01:25 CLIP Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (man, English):
“Has COVID itself created movement? That is early to say, in my opinion, but I am very worried. And we've said it to a lot of different governments that have asked us this question, the livelihood crisis - I don't know if that term is clear - the poverty, the increased poverty of these populations, in my opinion, coupled with lack of solutions, perpetuation of conflict and, in situations like the Sahel, deterioration of security... In my opinion, there's no doubt that it will increase population movements in the regions, but also beyond, towards Europe, for example.”
02:04 CLIP Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (man, English):
“It has slowed down. It has been more complicated than before. But the granting of refuge -- let's put it that way -- has continued in these countries in spite of the coronavirus. Of course, if the situation deteriorates further, it will be an additional burden. So I am worried that this, in the end, may prevent asylum from being fully granted to people that seek it, because, as I said many times call it, has stopped many of the things that we're doing. But certainly it doesn't seem to have stopped wars.”
02:42 Various of cut aways from press conference
06:16 END
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , OHCHR , UNFPA , UNOG , UNHCR , WHO
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis growing by the hour amid spike in displacement
Yemenis displaced by renewed fighting have described fleeing for their lives amid shelling and gunfire, aid agencies reported on Friday, while highlighting the dramatic increase in humanitarian needs in the country and in Djibouti, where thousands have sought shelter.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office issued on Friday a report documenting a shocking pattern of sexual violence amid Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | WMO
As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
ends
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
The deadly Ebola virus outbreak in DR Congo continues to spread across the vast country despite some success in containing it, aid officials said on Tuesday, in a renewed call for international support to help responders on the ground.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WFP
‘Super El Niño’ and converging crises worsen hunger in South Sudan and across the region - WFP
South Sudan’s hunger crisis is becoming increasingly catastrophic as violence, extreme weather and dwindling aid leave millions without enough food, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In war-torn Gaza, a growing number of women-headed households face “impossible decisions” every day, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and still-scarce resources, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar at the 63rd Human Rights Council.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today delivered an update on the global human rights situation to the 63rdsession of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated attacks on humanitarian warehouses put vital medical aid at risk in Ukraine - WHO
A new airstrike overnight damaged one of the main warehouses used by the UN health agency to store humanitarian medical supplies in the Kyiv region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. This is the third attack to affect a WHO-used storage in the last three months.
2
2
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Powerful El Niño heightens extreme-weather risks through 2027, as countries brace for impact - WMO
Fuelled by extraordinarily warm waters across the tropical Pacific Ocean, the El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months. Forecasters are almost certain that it will persist through February next year, with unusually warm conditions expected across the globe.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , IFRC , UN WOMEN , WHO
Nepal flood deaths near 1,000 as those spared struggle to survive – UN humanitarians
With the death toll in Nepal’s catastrophic flash floods inching towards 1,000, rescue workers are facing harsh conditions while survivors lack access to food, safe water and health care, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNDRR , IFRC , WHO
Nepal: Flooding disaster “not over” as humanitarians work around the clock
While search and rescue efforts continued Friday following flash floods and mudslides in northern Nepal, UN humanitarians are taking stock of the devastation amid concerns over more flooding to come.