Statement on Syria by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi
Syria is at a crossroads – between peace and war, stability and lawlessness, reconstruction or further ruin. After 14 years of conflict, recent developments bring hope that the suffering of the Syrian people may finally end, and that the world’s largest forced...
UNHCR High Commissioner’s statement to the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly
By Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Madam Chair, Distinguished delegates, We are living through a time of rapid change. A time of promise — only a few weeks ago, the Pact for the Future was adopted here in New York — but also a time of...
High Commissioner’s statement at the International Conference in Support of Lebanon’s People and Sovereignty, Paris
By Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees M. le Président de la République, M. le Président du Conseil des ministres, Permettez-moi de m’exprimer en anglais [Allow me to speak in English]. The disaster in Lebanon has multiple humanitarian consequences....
High Commissioner’s closing statement to the seventy-fifth plenary session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme
By Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Madam Chair, Distinguished delegates, Colleagues and friends, As we conclude another session of the Executive Committee, let me thank all of you for your engagement, your support, and for the frank exchanges during...
High Commissioner’s opening statement to the seventy-fifth plenary session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme
Good morning. This has been a year of extremes. A year of contradictions. A year of loss and of grief, without doubt, as we continue to witness conflict, violence and abuses that displace millions. Fed by the belief – no: the terrible lie – that the path to peace is...
Keynote address at the Refugee Law Initiative Annual Conference, 3 June 2024 (Conference theme: ‘Pacts, promises and refugee protection’)
‘Reinforcing rights and legal principles in the face of global challenges: the Global Compact on Refugees’ By Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection I. Introduction Ladies and Gentlemen, distinguished colleagues, and esteemed guests, It is...
Statement by the High Commissioner at the Summit of the Future 2024, New York
Thank you Mr. President, This morning, we heard from three young people, including Monicah – a bright woman, a refugee. I don’t have much to add to her wise and beautiful words but let me reflect from the same perspective: as the future also belongs to all the young...
Speech by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees at the University of Nairobi
Dear Vice-Chancellor, Dear Principal Secretary, Dear students, Ambassadors, Colleagues: from the UN and Resident Coordinator — from the aid community — from UNHCR, Ladies and gentlemen: What a privilege and a great pleasure to be here today! I have been looking...