The new pledges were announced at the gathering, to focus on areas including refugee access to employment and education, and lasting solutions such as sustaining voluntary return home and safe pathways to third countries. This brought the total commitments and pledges since the first Global Refugee Forum in 2019 to almost 3 500 across 47 thematic and regional areas, involving over 1 300 actors including states.

This week, Japan donated rice worth more than $2 million, helping feed new arrivals in their first days. It’s a welcome relief, but officials say it’s not a long-term fix. Refugee advocates warn that when host communities are also struggling, resentment can grow, a concern familiar to South Africans watching migration debates at home. They fear refugee protection is becoming political, traded for funding instead of being treated as a shared global responsibility.

–ChannelAfrica–