Edited News | UNHCR , UNOG , UNITED NATIONS
Wealthier countries must do more to relieve the burden of nations who are hosting large numbers of refugees, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told media in Geneva today. The remarks were made at press conference he held together with the High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, during the first-ever World Refugee Forum.
“We cannot have a concept of burden-sharing based on the idea that developing countries keep the refugees and developed countries support financially the developing countries to keep the refugees,” the Secretary-General said, in plea for all nations to honour their obligations under the treaties that protect refugees. “ I think burden-sharing is also for the developed countries to have their borders open to asylum seekers seeking protection and to give a fair treatment to their claims,” Mr. Guterres said.
The Global Refugee Forum, hosted by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Switzerland -- and co-convened by Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Germany, Pakistan, and Turkey -- aims to generate new approaches and long-term commitments to help refugees and the communities in which they live.
“Global forced displacement has been rising steadily in recent years. Today more than 70 million people are forcibly displaced, double the level of 20 years ago and 2,3 million more than just one year ago, ” he said. “We must change the way we respond to the refugee situation, so that we can better cope with present realities and prepare for future challenges. “
The UN Secretary-General said a rising tide of human displacement means that the root causes that lead people to flee in the first place must be addressed, and that the time has come to ensure that the human rights of refugees are upheld.
Contributions made at the Global Refugee Forum are expected to go far beyond financial assistance, and to include technical and material aid, as well as legal and policy changes for the greater inclusion of refugees in society. “The pledges announced this morning by the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank and the private sector are welcome examples of the crucial role that these entities play in responding to refugee situations”, said Antonio Guterres. He added that “together with others ongoing or planned investments by the private sector and other bi-lateral development entities and other financial institutions – all these have ensured tangible results for refugees and host communities”.
The Forum brings together refugees, heads of state and government leaders, international intuitions, development organizations, business leaders and civil society representatives, among others, in the largest ever event organized by the UN Refugee agency. “The response we got around this Forum is quite impressive,’ said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “With 3000 participants registered, for UNHCR this is the biggest event it has ever managed in his history”.
Mr. Grandi estimated that some 700 pledges would be made during the course of the three-day event, which began yesterday. “When I say pledges it does not mean only money,” the High Commissioner emphasized.“It means legislation. Ethiopia, for example, has spoken about further legislation to include refugees in services and in the economy -- just to give you an example, because they spoke this morning. It is resettlement to third countries, it is many ways that actors [and] participants can pledge”.
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Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and the UN Human Rights Office have today released a report detailing the evolution of violent gang incidents beyond the capital Port-au-Prince since October 2024 up to June 2025, and the resulting loss of life and mass displacement.
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Edited News | WHO , OHCHR
Gaza: ‘Unacceptable’ choice between getting shot or getting fed – UN humanitarians
Following the deaths of several children in an Israeli strike on Palestinians waiting in line for nutritional supplements in central Gaza on Thursday, UN humanitarians have once again condemned the killings of people at aid distribution sites in the enclave.
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Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the United Nations bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights made the following comments on the recent violence in Kenya.
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Edited News | ITC
US tariffs uncertainty hurts world economy, with poorest countries hit hardest – top UN economist
A new US decision to further delay the end of a 90-day pause on tariffs is bad for business, a top UN economist said on Tuesday.
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Edited News | WHO , OHCHR
Gaza aid site horror continues as more starving people shot trying to get food
Amid intensifying hopes for a new Gaza ceasefire, UN humanitarians confirmed disturbing details on Friday of continued killings and injuries of Palestinians desperately seeking food at aid sites.
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Edited News | OCHA
A clearer picture of needs across Iran is beginning to emerge after the conflict this month with Israel, which left hundreds dead, several hospitals hit and a spike in Afghan refugees returning home, the UN’s top official in Tehran said on Tuesday.
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Edited News | WMO
The blistering early-summer heatwave that’s brought life-threatening temperatures across much of the northern hemisphere is a worrying sign of things to come, UN weather experts said on Tuesday.
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Edited News | OHCHR
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Human Rights Council annual panel on adverse impacts of climate change.
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Edited News | WHO
The first meagre midweek delivery of urgently needed medical goods to enter Gaza in months will provide scant relief to the enclave’s people, who continue to be shot and killed as they search for food, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
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Statements , Edited News | HRC
Enhanced interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on Myanmar presented by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and oral update by Thomas Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
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Edited News | UNOG
The conflict-impacted people of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) urgently need much more international assistance than they are getting today, the UN’s top aid official said on Thursday.
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Edited News | UNOG
Violence in Myanmar is spiralling as the military junta increases its attacks on monasteries, schools and camps sheltering people uprooted by the civil war, a top independent human rights investigator warned on Wednesday.