People flee from their homes for many reasons, including war and political instability. They leave behind their belongings, family members and often their jobs – but their main concern is survival. Depending on the situation, refugees may face hunger, exploitation and violence, including from traffickers who make fortunes by selling them to trafficking networks, and even death. The global refugee crisis is one of the largest in recent history.
The number of people displaced by conflict and forced to flee their homes has reached an all-time high — 42.7 million in 2024 — and is expected to continue rising as long as protracted conflicts persist. The global community has an historic opportunity to take action through the Global Compact on Refugees, a framework for more predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing that recognizes that no one country alone can solve refugee situations.
Efforts to address the refugee crisis must be holistic, addressing underlying issues such as weak state capacity and rebel and terrorist activity, as well as religious and ethnic fragmentation, which can fuel displacement. Governments must also prevent their refugee populations from becoming an unsustainable burden by reducing recurrent secondary movements, providing access to safe employment opportunities and ensuring education for children.
They must also investigate and prosecute traffickers who exploit and smuggle refugees, and combat all forms of xenophobia and discrimination, which undermine the social cohesion of host communities and can lead to violence. Finally, they must invest in developing and promoting solutions to conflict-driven displacement, such as investing in peacebuilding, while fostering more inclusive economic policies that include the protection of refugees and migrants.