Barham Salih Urges UN Security Council to End Displacement

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih informed the UN Security Council that the forced displacement of over 117 million people now poses a fundamental threat to international peace and security. Speaking during the 81st UN General Assembly session in New York, Salih argued that while humanitarian agencies manage the consequences of war, the Security Council holds the unique responsibility under the UN Charter to create the peace necessary for refugees to return home.

Salih introduced a "50 by 35" vision, which aims to halve the number of long-term displaced refugees dependent on assistance by 2035. He emphasized that success must mean creating conditions where people no longer require aid and children do not inherit the displacement of their parents. To achieve this, he called for a truce in Sudan, the release of UN staff detained by Houthi authorities in Yemen, and international investment for Syrian reconstruction, while also highlighting crises in Congo, Ukraine, and Western Sahara.

Council members expressed alarm over the displacement of 2.1 million people in the Gaza Strip. Delegations from Denmark, Somalia, China, and Russia emphasized the need for unhindered aid and an end to land annexation, with Russia insisting that the work of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees must be wholeheartedly supported.