Grandi warned that the world remains deeply unstable despite a recent drop in the number of people fleeing conflict and persecution.
In his final address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Grandi reported that global displacement figures have fallen for the first time in almost a decade, from 123 million people at the end of 2024 to around 117 million this year.
“This may seem surprising because the world has not become safer, on the contrary,” he said, citing conflicts in Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine and Myanmar as continuing drivers of instability.
The “unexpected decrease,” he explained, was mainly due to voluntary returns to Syria and Afghanistan, though he cautioned that not all movements were by choice. “The voluntary nature of returns is an important distinction which statistics cannot always capture,” he said.
Grandi said more than a million refugees have returned to Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, while another two million displaced people inside the country have gone back to their communities.
He called for greater international support to rebuild infrastructure and restore essential services in Syria, noting that UNHCR teams are providing cash assistance, shelter repairs and documentation. In Afghanistan, however, many returns have been forced, particularly from Iran and Pakistan, which have hosted Afghan refugees for decades.
“The recent waves of forced returns deny many Afghan refugees the protection they need, forcing them back to an environment where human rights violations and discrimination are widespread, especially against women,” he said.
Grandi, who steps down after ten years as High Commissioner, also warned of a deepening funding crisis. UNHCR faces a $1.3 billion shortfall and expects to receive less than $4 billion of its $10.6 billion budget this year.
He appealed to donors, especially those in Europe and the Gulf region, to help “bridge the gap” and provide early, flexible funding for 2026 to ensure protection and opportunities for displaced people worldwide.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
