Other20 June, 20263 min read
UNHCR Says Forcibly Displaced People Exceed 117 Million On World Refugee Day
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World Refugee Day emphasizes shared responsibility and protection for refugees. UNHCR data indicate over 117 million people forcibly displaced globally.
Refugee Day and displacement
World Refugee Day is observed on June 20 every year, with this year’s celebration described as coming amid ongoing global crises and data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) indicating that the number of people forcibly displaced worldwide exceeds 117 million.
The Copts United article says the UNHCR slogan for the day is “Until Everyone Is Safe,” reiterating the right of every person to seek protection without discrimination and underscoring the international community’s commitment to the principles of the 1951 Refugee Convention.
It adds that Egypt reiterates its ongoing humanitarian commitment to welcome refugees and provide them with essential services, within a comprehensive approach based on humanitarian and developmental integration, and to strengthen cooperation with international organizations led by the UNHCR.
In a separate framing, Al-Jarida Al-Rayah reports that the international community today, Saturday, celebrates World Refugee Day under the slogan 'Until everyone is safe,' and says the occasion coincides with the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.
Al-Jarida Al-Rayah also quotes Dr. Abdullah Bandar Al-Ateeibi, assistant professor at Qatar University, saying that the increase in the number of refugees worldwide stems from the persistence of armed conflicts and serious human rights violations, among other drivers.
UNHCR: returns and risks
Mont Karlo Al-Dawliyya says the UN Refugee Agency attributes a decline in displacement in 2025 to the return home of about 14.7 million refugees and internally displaced people, described as up 50 percent from the previous year and the second-highest figure on record since 1965. The same source says most returns were to six countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Myanmar, while it also warns that refugee returns were not comfortable due to limited access to essential services, widespread destruction of infrastructure, and ongoing insecurity. It reports that the return of 2.9 million Afghans to their homeland is attributed to stricter policies in Iran and Pakistan, and that the number of Afghan refugees worldwide fell from 5.8 million in 2024 to 3.7 million in 2025.
Mont Karlo Al-Dawliyya further states that Syria recorded the return of about 1.3 million displaced people since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, contributing to lowering the number of Syrian refugees worldwide from 6 million to 4.9 million by the end of 2025. The article quotes High Commissioner Barham Salih saying, 'refuge and protection are life-saving matters and there is no room for debate on them, but we cannot accept a future in which millions of refugees remain trapped for years or decades without realistic prospects for rebuilding their lives.'
Climate, heat, and displacement
TIME France reports that the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns on Monday, March 23, that the planet has reached its record for accumulated heat in 2025, according to the UN weather agency’s annual State of the Climate report. It says the global climate is in an emergency, with the Earth pushed beyond its limits and all key climate indicators in the red, and it quotes UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying, “The global climate is in an emergency.” The article also quotes Celeste Saulo, the WMO Secretary-General, saying, “when we observe the weather today, we do not merely forecast the weather; we protect tomorrow,” and it adds that the report highlights repercussions on daily life including displacement and food insecurity.
TIME France states that in 2025, heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, tropical cyclones, storms and floods killed thousands, affected millions, and led to economic losses amounting to billions of dollars, according to the WMO. It concludes by warning that “climate chaos is accelerating and any dithering will be deadly,” quoting Antonio Guterres as saying the report should come with that warning.