UNHCR Launches Global Solidarity Campaign for Refugees on Convention's 75th Anniversary

The campaign reaffirms the core principles of the Refugee Convention and calls for continued protection of people seeking safety across borders.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has launched The Promise, a global statement of solidarity with refugees, as the world marks the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention amid record levels of forced displacement and increasing pressure on asylum systems.

Led by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih, the initiative seeks to build a broad international coalition supporting refugee protection at a time when conflicts, violence and persecution continue to force millions of people from their homes. The campaign reaffirms the core principles of the Refugee Convention and calls for continued protection of people seeking safety across borders.

Global figures unite in support of refugees

The first group of 75 signatories includes well-known figures from entertainment, sports, business, humanitarian work and public life. Among them are actor-filmmakers Cate Blanchett, Angelina Jolie and Ben Stiller, International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry, entrepreneurs Hamdi Ulukaya, Mo Ibrahim and Tadashi Yanai, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Malala Yousafzai, Nadia Murad and Dr Denis Mukwege, former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Sarah Mullally, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Their participation reflects growing support from different sectors of society for protecting the right to seek asylum and standing alongside people forced to flee conflict and persecution.

Salih said the Refugee Convention has saved millions of lives over the past 75 years and remains one of the strongest expressions of the international community's shared commitment to protecting vulnerable people. He stressed that today's responsibility is to ensure those commitments continue for future generations.

Growing displacement demands stronger international cooperation

According to UNHCR, more than 41 million refugees are currently living in displacement around the world. Ongoing conflicts and new humanitarian crises continue to place heavy demands on countries hosting refugees, while asylum systems in many regions are facing increasing pressure and limited resources.

Through The Promise, signatories call for a world where people fleeing war and persecution can seek safety, refugees are welcomed into communities, and lasting solutions are pursued from the earliest stages of displacement. The declaration also encourages governments, businesses, civil society and individuals to work together to provide protection, opportunity and hope for displaced people.

Campaign to continue ahead of Global Refugee Forum

Salih noted that the Refugee Convention provides governments with a practical framework for responding to displacement while maintaining security, stability and public confidence. He also emphasised that lasting solutions require early international cooperation, stronger support for host countries and greater efforts to create conditions that allow refugees to return home voluntarily when it is safe to do so or find other durable solutions.

UNHCR will continue inviting governments, organisations and individuals to endorse The Promise in the lead-up to the Global Refugee Forum in 2027, with the campaign intended to strengthen international solidarity and reinforce global responsibility for protecting refugees.