Doha: Under the theme "Until Everyone Is Safe," the international community will mark World Refugee Day tomorrow, June 20, which this year coincides with the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention. The occasion honors the courage and resilience of people forced to flee their homes because of conflict, persecution, or disasters, while reaffirming the international community's commitment to protecting and supporting them.
According to Qatar News Agency, the observance comes at a time when the number of displaced people and refugees worldwide continues to rise to unprecedented levels. Despite the hardships they face, from dangerous journeys across borders to overcrowded camps and shortages of essential resources, refugees continue to demonstrate resilience and determination in pursuit of a dignified life.
This year's World Refugee Day serves as a reminder that behind every statistic is a human story, and behind every displacement is a hope of returning home or rebuilding a life elsewhere. It is a call for the world to transform solidarity into meaningful action that safeguards lives and upholds human dignity.
The occasion also highlights the enduring importance of the 1951 Refugee Convention, which established the principle that people fleeing danger should not be returned to places where their lives are at risk and should be granted protection and dignified living conditions while displaced. The convention was created in the aftermath of war as a universal commitment to humanity.
The theme of this year's observance calls on governments to maintain fair and accessible asylum systems, encourages donors to continue life-saving support, and urges communities to welcome those forced to flee. It emphasizes that safety should never depend on nationality, wealth, race, religion, gender, political opinion, or migration status.
According to the latest mid-year global estimates, the number of people forcibly displaced worldwide has exceeded 117 million. When protection is unavailable, instability deepens, families are pushed toward dangerous routes, children lose years of education, women and girls face heightened risks, and host communities struggle under growing pressures. Protecting refugees is therefore not only a humanitarian obligation but also a prerequisite for global stability and peace.
Commenting on the issue, Assistant Professor in the Department of International Affairs at Qatar University Dr. Abdullah Banndar Al Etaibi said the increase in refugee numbers is driven by prolonged armed conflicts, weak state institutions in some regions, serious human rights violations, economic crises, and climate change. He noted that although an advanced international legal framework exists, it is often more capable of managing the consequences of crises than preventing their root causes, particularly in the absence of the political will needed to resolve conflicts permanently.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Dr. Abdullah Banndar Al Etaibi said the main challenges facing refugee protection include declining humanitarian funding, the politicization of asylum issues, unequal burden-sharing among countries, and rising anti-refugee rhetoric. He noted that this year's theme, "Until Everyone Is Safe," highlights that refugee protection is essential to global security and stability.
He added that while international responses have improved in areas such as registration, relief, and coordination, growing displacement and multiple crises continue to strain resources. Funding gaps remain particularly significant in education, healthcare, social protection, and economic empowerment programs.
Al Otaibi stressed that successful refugee policies combine legal protection with access to education, employment, and social integration, while also supporting host communities. He also highlighted the role of technology and artificial intelligence in improving refugee registration, aid delivery, education, healthcare, and humanitarian planning, provided strong privacy safeguards are maintained.
In 2018, the United Nations adopted the Global Compact on Refugees to promote fairer responsibility-sharing among countries. Earlier this month, UNHCR reported that global forced displacement declined in 2025 for the first time in a decade, although levels remain high. The report recorded 5.4 million new cross-border refugees and 14.7 million returns, particularly to Syria, Sudan, and Afghanistan.