World Refugee Day Statement – 20 June 2025

On World Refugee Day 2025, we speak out against the global failure to protect forcibly displaced people. With over 110 million individuals displaced worldwide, current policies of exclusion, detention, and externalization are not only ineffective—they are inhumane.

We reject the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in its current form, which prioritizes border control over protection and fast-tracks deportations at the expense of due process. We also denounce the growing use of detention and Europe’s partnerships with regimes that violate human rights, shifting responsibility instead of offering safety.

But we know a better path is possible. Through our work, we’ve seen how access to education, jobs, and community support helps refugees thrive—and strengthens society as a whole. Inclusion, not deterrence, must be the foundation of migration policy.

We call on governments to uphold their legal and moral obligations, end harmful practices, and invest in long-term solutions rooted in dignity and justice. We call on civil society to speak out, support inclusion, and build a future where refugees are welcomed—not feared.

Let us move from exclusion to encounter. A future with refugees is a future of hope—for all.

Read the full statement here.