A Syrian refugee family outside the Catholic Relief Services (CRS)-supported shelter for Syrian refugee women who are victims of sexual and gender-based violence. Nikki Gamer / Catholic Relief Services
A Syrian refugee family outside the Catholic Relief Services (CRS)-supported shelter for Syrian refugee women who are victims of sexual and gender-based violence. Nikki Gamer / Catholic Relief Services

As World Refugee Day 2026 is being marked, it is worth pointing to the strong foundations that exist based on research, which can inform policy at a time when humanitarian needs are pressing, while border control practices lead to migrant deaths.

The significant pressures faced by countries hosting large numbers of refugees are well evidenced. Approaches centred on “helping people where they are” often do not reasonably reflect the finite capacity of these states. In 2025, for example, UNHCR operations were heavily underfunded in key refugee-hosting countries, including Lebanon and Turkey.

This raises broader questions about responsibility-sharing. If wealthier states are unable to increase resettlement or funding, it becomes harder to see how the principles of the Global Compact on Refugees (2018) can be meaningfully sustained.

Marking the 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention this year also invites reflection—not only on commitments made, but on how they are being carried forward in practice today.

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