People fleeing violence, human rights abuses and poverty linked to natural disasters and climate change need international protection. The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1998 Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement establish the right to seek asylum. But the world’s system of protecting refugees is broken.
Conflicts such as the war in Syria have pushed the number of refugees worldwide to record high levels. In addition, climate change is causing a new wave of displacement around the world. This is not a sustainable situation.
The protracted nature of many conflicts and the inability to return home for safety or work is making it increasingly difficult for those displaced to meet their basic needs. This can lead to frustration and desperation, especially when host countries have limited resources and rely on large donations of aid from wealthier states.
The manipulation of displaced populations for political purposes, such as in the case of the tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees living in Egypt, also increases the risks to their well-being. This practice should be condemned by humanitarian organizations and sympathetic governments, including the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, which represents nine national voluntary agencies that resettle refugees in the United States: Church World Service, Episcopal Migration Ministries, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, International Rescue Committee, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, Mercy Corps, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and World Relief. Read our full statement on the need for increased responsibility among wealthy nations in the global refugee crisis.
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