Random News

eriinfo

Africa: To Mark 75 Years of the Refugee Convention, 75 Global Voices Unite With UNHCR to Launch ‘The Promise’

eriinfo.com06 mins
Africa: To Mark 75 Years of the Refugee Convention, 75 Global Voices Unite With UNHCR to Launch ‘The Promise’


  • The Promise is a public statement of solidarity, bringing together prominent figures from across society to reaffirm support for refugees and the right to seek safety.
  • Launched on 28 July, as the Refugee Convention marks its 75th anniversary, it aims to build a diverse coalition for refugee protection through to the Global Refugee Forum in 2027.
  • Initial signatories include faith leaders, Nobel laureates, artists and cultural figures, athletes and sports leaders, business figures, refugee leaders and human rights advocates.

GENEVA – As the world marks the 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention, at a time of record displacement and mounting pressure on asylum systems, 75 leading figures from across society have joined UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in launching The Promise, a global statement of solidarity with refugees.

Convened by UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, the initiative aims to build a global coalition in support of refugee protection at a time when the international system faces growing challenges. Through The Promise, signatories reaffirm the enduring principles of the Refugee Convention and the commitment to protect people fleeing conflict, violence and persecution.


Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines

Among the Initial 75 signatories are: actor-filmmakers Cate Blanchett, Angelina Jolie and Ben Stiller; Olympic champion and IOC President Kirsty Coventry; entrepreneurs Hamdi Ulukuya, Mo Ibrahim and Tadashi Yanai; Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Malala Yousafzai, Nadia Murad, and Dr Denis Mukwege and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, also of The Elders; and Sarah Mullaly, Archbishop of Canterbury. Their participation reflects broad support from across society for protecting the right to seek asylum and standing in solidarity with refugees.

“The Refugee Convention has saved millions of lives over the decades; it goes to the core of our shared humanity,” said Barham Salih, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “Seventy-five years ago, the world made a promise to protect people forced to flee. Our responsibility now is to keep that promise alive, for all generations to come.”

More than 41 million refugees remain forcibly displaced worldwide. As old conflicts persist and new ones erupt, host countries carry immense responsibility, while asylum systems in many places are left stretched and under-resourced.

In The Promise, signatories affirm the commitment of the Refugee Convention: that people forced to flee war, violence and persecution must be able to seek safety and rebuild their lives. They call for a world where everyone can seek safety, refugees are included in communities, solutions to displacement begin from the earliest stages of every crisis, and all sections of society play their part. They pledge to choose “action, compassion and solidarity. Until everyone is safe.”