Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Today, the number of forcibly displaced people around the world has reached a record high of more than 120 million people. On World Refugee Day, we reaffirm the European Union's firm commitment to being a leading global donor in support of refugees around the world. We are committed to strengthening our efforts to ensure that the European Union remains a place where refugees find protection and safety, according to a statement issued by the Office of the High Coordinator for Foreign and Security Policies of the European Union, Josep Borrell.
The statement continued, "Concretely, the European Union is actively following up on its pledge made at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum to improve the situation of millions of refugees and forcibly displaced people stuck in major conflicts and humanitarian crises around the world such as Gaza, Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Venezuela, Yemen, Sudan, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo." We also support governments in addressing statelessness and strengthening their asylum systems.
Our focus is on durable solutions, working alongside national and local authorities to meet the needs and resilience of refugees and the communities hosting them. In this regard, we are already working with governments such as those of Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Mauritania to support their efforts to integrate refugees into national systems.
At the same time, the European Union is also hosting a growing number of refugees and people forced to flee their homes. For example, due to Russia's aggressive war on Ukraine, EU member states today host approximately 4.2 million people from Ukraine under temporary protection, a third of whom are children.
The European Union reaffirms its strong support for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which play a crucial role. The European Union reiterates its firm commitment to the right to seek and enjoy asylum and the principle of non-refoulement, enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention and in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which must always be respected.
We will continue to work closely with EU Member States and international partners on resettlement and complementary pathways that can help increase chances of admission from priority areas.
The European Union and its Member States make an important contribution to global repatriation efforts. Since 2015, EU resettlement schemes have provided safe haven for more than 122,000 vulnerable refugees. In addition, since 2021, nearly 48,000 refugees – most of them vulnerable Afghans – have been welcomed into the EU through humanitarian admission schemes. Building on this commitment, EU Member States pledged the resettlement and humanitarian admission of 61,000 people for the period 2024-2025 at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum.
The Charter on Migration and Asylum, which recently entered into force, reflects a comprehensive and comprehensive approach to managing migration. Therefore, the Commission seeks, together with the Member States, a two-track approach, accompanying legislative action at EU level with implementation activities. This includes in particular work on the external dimension of migration, by seeking to establish comprehensive partnerships with partner countries.
After reaching a historic agreement on the Migration and Asylum Charter, work began on translating the large and complex set of legislative laws into practical reality over the next two years.
This will be a joint endeavour, with the Commission supporting Member States every step of the way. The Joint Implementation Plan for the Migration and Asylum Compact, adopted by the Commission on 12 June, sets out the key milestones for all Member States to put in place the legal and operational capacities needed to successfully begin implementing the new legislation by mid-2026.