Beyza Binnur Donmez
12 October 2026•Update: 12 October 2026
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees warned Monday that protecting people forced to flee is essential, but displacement must not become permanent, as prolonged conflicts and shrinking humanitarian resources deepen the global refugee crisis.
Addressing the UNHCR Executive Committee in Geneva, Barham Salih said more than 117 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide by conflict, violence, persecution, and other threats.
"We must protect people when they are forced to flee. But we cannot accept indefinite displacement as their future," he said.
Salih warned that conflicts are producing displacement faster than they can be resolved, leaving millions trapped in prolonged crises.
He stressed that humanitarian assistance alone cannot provide lasting solutions, calling for greater investment in conflict prevention, diplomacy, and opportunities for refugees to rebuild their lives.
"Success must also mean people recovering agency: being able to work, to learn, to support their families, and to make the choices about their future," he said. "We must measure success not only by the lives we save, but by the lives people are able to rebuild, and the lasting solutions they can find."
Turning to education, Salih said 5.8 million refugee children remain out of school, highlighting persistent barriers to educational opportunities.
He announced plans to launch the "Aiming Higher" initiative, aimed at expanding refugee students' access to university degrees and other higher education qualifications through cooperation with governments, universities, and the private sector.
Meanwhile, the UNHCR faces a severe funding crisis, having secured only $3 billion, or 35%, of its $8.5 billion requirements for 2026 as of Oct. 9, according to the agency's chief.
The agency's workforce has also fallen from nearly 20,000 to under 12,000 since 2024, with nearly 8,000 employees leaving amid major restructuring.
Salih warned that shrinking resources are threatening essential protection services, stressing that efficiency measures cannot compensate indefinitely for declining funding.
"Protection has a floor. Below it, the system does not simply become smaller. The protection we can provide begins to fail," he said.
