UNHCR 90th Standing Committee Agenda Item 2 b): Global Report 2023 EU Statement

European Union

UNHCR 90^th Standing Committee

1-3 July 2024

Agenda Item 2 b): Global Report 2023

Statement by the European Union and its Member States

1 July 2024

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia[1], Ukraine, Republic of Moldova and Georgia, and the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

1. The EU and its Member States welcome the "Global Report 2023" and commend UNHCR's continued commitment to address the needs of forcibly displaced persons globally. 2023 has seen a significant rise in the number of forcibly displaced persons worldwide, exacerbated by conflicts, disasters, climate change and socioeconomic instability. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, new conflicts in Sudan and Myanmar and ongoing humanitarian emergencies in, Syria, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or the Sahel region resulted in millions of persons being forced to flee their homes. We acknowledge that the total number of forcibly displaced persons - more than 120 million - including refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons (IDPs), is placing immense pressure on UNHCR's capacity to respond.

1. The EU and its Member States recognise the severe funding shortfalls faced by UNHCR, and the humanitarian system as a whole, limiting the ability to provide essential services leaving many without adequate assistance: and life-saving protection services and MHPSS.

1. The repercussions of the global economic instability and inflation - reinforced by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine - have made it harder for donors to increase their contributions and put additional pressure on host communities. However, as pledged at the last European Humanitarian Forum and in line with EU Council Conclusions of 22 May 2023 on addressing the humanitarian funding gap, we are ready to continue to do our part in line with the principle of burden and responsibility sharing, and call on others to do the same. To close the gap and enable solutions from the start, all States and relevant actors - including the private sector, World Bank and International Financial Institutions - should do their fair share to support displaced persons and their host communities.

1. We call for continued prioritisation and targeting efforts and we underline the importance of further strengthening UNHCR's work on sustainable programming. It is key to avoid creating long term humanitarian dependency in protracted situations. We encourage UNHCR to further build on inter-agency synergies and efficiency gains through coordination as "One UN". In this regard, we welcome the UNHCR-IOM joint whole-of-route-based approach to mixed movements and look forward to further dialogue and implementation. We would be interested to hear about UNHCR's efforts to enhance the inter-operability of UN systems, registration, and data, in line with Grand Bargain commitments.

1. The EU and its Member States note that operating in conflict zones has presented significant logistical and security challenges for UNHCR. As recently noted by High Commissioner Grandi at the UN Security Council, parties to conflicts increasingly, blatantly and sometimes deliberately violate International Humanitarian Law, with such violations often triggering additional forced displacement of civilians. In several contexts, humanitarian access was often obstructed due to bureaucratic impediments, active hostilities and increasingly serious security concerns, such as targeted attacks on humanitarian aid and medical workers. Some Governments and non-state actors continued to impose restrictions on aid, requiring delicate negotiations, and limiting the scope and speed of UNHCR's life-saving response. This is not acceptable.

1. Despite a bleak picture, 2023 brought signs of hope following the Global Refugee Forum. The EU and its Member States express our gratitude to governments and host communities who have generously welcomed forcibly displaced persons, demonstrating true solidarity. We support governments in addressing statelessness, strengthening asylum systems, and integrating refugees into national systems. Our focus is on durable solutions, working alongside national and local authorities to meet the needs and reinforce the resilience of refugees and host communities. While there is some progress on long-term solutions, the voluntary repatriation, in safety and dignity, and the sustainable reintegration are key. Contributing to greater international burden- and responsibility sharing, the EU also hosts an increasing number of refugees and persons forced to flee their homes.We are committed to preserving the right to seek and enjoy asylum and the principle of non-refoulement as enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

1. Finally, the EU and its Member States are deeply concerned and pay particular attention the immense protection risks faced especially by women, children, persons with disabilities and other persons in vulnerable and/or marginalised situations. We stress the importance of UNHCR's gender-responsive approaches and reaffirm our commitment to combatting sexual and gender-based violence, as well as sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. We underline our zero-tolerance policy on integrity issues, including fraud and misconducts, and expect UNHCR to follow the same approach with rigorous investigations.

Thank you.

[1]North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

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