The international community must renew its commitment to protecting refugees amid global challenges, UN and IACHR say

December 15, 2025

Washington, DC / Geneva—On Human Rights Day, the Platform of Independent Experts on Refugee Rights (PIERR), a group of UN and regional human rights experts, celebrates its second anniversary and calls on States to renew global solidarity to defend the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.

This year has seen unprecedented, turbulent changes in the multilateral system and alarming threats to the rule of law on an international scale. The challenges refugees face today are complex and interconnected: drawn-out conflicts, climate-related displacement, racism, xenophobia, and shrinking civic space all demand urgent, well-coordinated responses.

With more than 117 million forcibly displaced individuals globally, the magnitude of their needs is unprecedented. At the same time, the funding to enable protection and other critical activities to save lives is being reduced, which poses real challenges for host communities and their supporters in their efforts to protect and ensure respect for refugees’ human rights. Multilateralism is not optional—it is essential to protect human rights and to guarantee access to justice and the rule of law. States, international and regional organizations, civil society, and refugee communities themselves must leverage collective efforts to ensure commitments lead to concrete measures.

In uncertain times, solidarity and shared responsibilities must guide joint action to protect the people who face the greatest risks, including refugees and asylum seekers. States, international and regional organizations, civil society, and refugee communities themselves must work together to ensure commitments lead to an effective protection of the human rights of refugees and to increased support for host communities. The second anniversary of the PIERR—launched at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum (GRF)—is an appropriate time to renew commitments for the future. The GRF Progress Review, set to be held over the period December 15–17, offers a crucial chance to suggest ways of turning commitments and solidarity into tangible improvements, with a view to protecting and promoting the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers.

International Human Rights Day, held every December 10, reminds us that protecting refugees is an essential component of the broader comprehensive human rights framework. The rights to life, liberty, dignity, security, and non-discrimination are not aspirational—they are binding obligations under international law. Looking ahead to 2026—the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention—we stress the lasting relevance of this essential instrument and the principle of complementarity among the applicable international law frameworks (refugee law, human rights law, and humanitarian law). Together, these complementary frameworks make up a comprehensive architecture to safeguard rights and search for solutions. However, their effectiveness ultimately depends on well-coordinated implementation, genuine political will, and a commitment to the rule of law.

The PIERR was created to better promote the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers and to help States and other stakeholders to implement their obligations under the applicable international and regional human rights law and refugee law frameworks. Over the past two years, we have worked together to promote dialogue, provide guidance, and foster complementarity among human rights systems, as well as to protect refugees with a joint, well-coordinated response.

At this critical time, we stress that cooperation is the way forward. No single stakeholder can face these challenges alone. The PIERR is willing to cooperate with States, international and regional organizations, civil society, refugees, and host communities, as well as with other stakeholders, to strengthen protection systems and help to find solutions that foster human dignity and respect for human rights. In an uncertain world, we urge stakeholders to focus on our shared humanity, and to let that guide us to a future of hope, solidarity, and shared responsibility.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 267/25

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