New York, USA, 14 June 2023 — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the UNHCR’s release today of global displacement figures, which has reached an all-time high of 108.4 million people.
David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, said:
A record high of over 108 million people displaced is a testament to the great and growing toll of climate change, economic turmoil, and armed conflict worldwide - all while the global guardrails designed to protect against humanitarian suffering are being dismantled.
“With displacement at the greatest levels seen since WWII, it is of great concern that high-income nations in particular are greeting refugees and asylum-seekers not with humanity and fairness, but with inhumanity, cruelty and injustice. Rather than guaranteeing safety, these baseless policy decisions only amplify the unsafe conditions that asylum-seekers are fleeing from in the first place.
"Humane responses on a global scale, as we saw in Ukraine, are possible - and particularly urgent in light of great and growing global need. The true crisis is not global displacement itself but the glaring lack of political will to address it.”
Harlem Désir, IRC’s Senior Vice President, Europe, says:
“The yearly increase in these displacement figures is startling, and must never be normalised. As the number of people in displacement soars, it’s vital that European leaders shift their focus from deterrence, to instead create a fair, sustainable asylum and migration system that prioritises the safety and inclusion of people in need of protection.
“At the heart of this new system must be a renewed commitment to expanding safe pathways for refugees to reach lasting protection outside of their region. The tragic reality is that 76% of displaced people are currently hosted by mid- and low-income countries, many of which do not have the resources to adequately support them. Despite this, European member states have consistently missed opportunities to strengthen schemes to move people to safety in Europe.
“Last year, the EU failed to meet its resettlement target, welcoming fewer than 17,000 people via this powerful tool - an average of just 618 new arrivals via resettlement per member state, and meeting only 1.1% of global resettlement needs. With more people displaced than ever before, it’s vital they meet their commitment to resettle more than 16,000 refugees this year and commit to resettling at least 44,000 refugees in 2024 in line with the EU’s own values and true capacity to welcome.”