UNHCR Calls for Lasting Refugee Solutions as Conflicts Grow and Aid Funding Shrinks

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih brought those human experiences into focus during his first address to UNHCR’s annual Executive Committee session in Geneva on Monday.

For the 117 million people forced to flee their homes, displacement means far more than crossing a border or finding temporary shelter. It can mean years without secure work, interrupted education and difficult decisions about a future that remains uncertain.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih brought those human experiences into focus during his first address to UNHCR's annual Executive Committee session in Geneva on Monday. New conflicts, prolonged crises and shrinking aid budgets, he warned, are forcing people from their homes faster than solutions can be found.

A Personal Understanding of Displacement

Salih spoke from experience as someone who has lived through forced displacement and served as a head of state, giving him an understanding of both the need for protection and the pressures governments face when providing it.

Since taking office in January, he has visited 15 UNHCR operations, including those in Chad, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Syria and Venezuela. Those visits reinforced his belief that protecting people during an emergency must be followed by opportunities to rebuild their lives.

For families who spend years depending on assistance, survival alone cannot be the measure of success. Access to education, reliable income and a lasting solution to displacement matters just as much as the immediate protection that keeps them safe.

A Plan to Reduce Dependence on Emergency Aid

That thinking underpins UNHCR's 50 by 35 vision, which seeks to halve the number of refugees in prolonged displacement in low- and middle-income countries who depend on humanitarian aid for survival. Around 14.5 million people currently fall into this group.

The approach brings together governments, development institutions, businesses, civil society and refugee-led organizations to expand inclusion and self-reliance, alongside lasting solutions such as voluntary return.

Salih announced three initiatives to support this work:

• Global Strategy for Self-Reliance: Expand refugees' access to jobs, finance, entrepreneurship and markets.

• 50 by 35 Accelerator: Provide flexible funding over several years to speed up projects supporting inclusion, self-reliance and lasting solutions.

• Aiming Higher: Increase access to universities and other forms of higher education.

The distinction between reducing aid and reducing dependence on aid is central to the plan. Success would mean people becoming more secure and self-sufficient because their circumstances have improved, with continued humanitarian support for everyone who still needs it.

Host Countries Need More Than Promises

Countries hosting refugees cannot deliver these changes through goodwill alone. Some 80 per cent of refugees live in countries that together account for just 27 per cent of global wealth, placing substantial responsibility on governments with limited resources.

Expanding access to education, employment and public services requires investment that benefits refugees and the communities receiving them. Salih called for additional international resources to match the leadership shown by host countries.

The Global Compact on Refugees already provides a framework for cooperation, but the latest data reveals a gap between host-country commitments and the financial and practical support delivered by the international community.

The next Global Refugee Forum in 2027 offers an opportunity to close that gap and turn pledges into support that reaches people.

Funding Cuts Test the Capacity to Protect

UNHCR is pursuing these plans after major changes to its own operations. The agency has tightened financial controls, increased efficiency and prioritized frontline delivery, alongside one of the largest workforce reductions in its history.

Staffing has fallen by more than a third, from nearly 20,000 in 2024 to just under 12,000. Its available 2026 budget stands at approximately $3 billion, around 35 per cent of the $8.5 billion required.

Salih said the reforms should strengthen the agency's ability to provide protection, assistance and solutions, but stressed that efficiency cannot compensate indefinitely for missing resources.

His closing message returned to the promise established by the Refugee Convention 75 years ago: people fleeing persecution must be able to seek protection, and refugees must not be sent back to places where their lives or freedoms are threatened.

Keeping that promise requires dependable funding, shared responsibility and opportunities for displaced people to build a future beyond emergency assistance.