EU Highlights 117 Million Displaced on World Refugee Day

On World Refugee Day (June 20), the European Commission and the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, issued a joint statement warning that more than 117 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide. The statement noted a first decline in total displacements in 2025, the first in a decade, and reaffirmed the EU’s role as a leading global humanitarian donor, providing food, water, shelter, health care and education to refugees, asylum‑seekers and host communities.

The EU highlighted its cooperation with the United Nations and partners in crises such as Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, Lebanon, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It called for stronger international solidarity, protection of displaced persons’ rights and long‑term solutions, including voluntary return, resettlement, employment, health and education.

In parallel, UNHCR used the day to mobilise young people worldwide to defend the right to asylum, reminding them of the 1951 Refugee Convention and urging continued support for the most vulnerable. The agency stressed the need for inclusive integration measures and the goal of halving long‑term displacement over the next decade.