The International Rescue Committee has urged governments to reverse cuts to humanitarian aid and protect access to asylum and refugee resettlement as displacement pressures continue to rise across the Horn of Africa.
The organization said displaced families need urgent support to access safety, healthcare and opportunity, warning that existing protection systems are under growing strain.
IRC President and CEO David Miliband said the situation for people in Sudan, Lebanon and Afghanistan shows that World Refugee Day is not a one-day event for millions living through conflict and displacement. He said the world is seeing diplomacy retreat, disorder rise and protections weaken at a time when shocks are increasing.
The IRC said its World Refugee Day theme this year, “Close the Distance,” highlights the widening gap between the scale of global displacement and the response it is receiving.
Across the Horn of Africa, conflict, drought and other crises continue to push families from their homes, deepening humanitarian needs and increasing pressure on aid agencies and host communities.
