In many countries, it is increasingly difficult for people who have been forced to flee to reach safe territory and have their basic rights recognized. In 2025, UNHCR will intervene to prevent and respond to refoulement, support protection-sensitive border management, and register more people who have been forced to flee.
The number of forcibly displaced children reached around 47 million in 2023 and is expected to keep rising in 2024 and 2025. Children who have been forced to flee or who are stateless are exposed to many risks, including violence, trafficking, detention and death.
In the first half of 2024, UNHCR supported more than 5.5 million refugees and asylum-seekers with drinking water and/or sanitation services in 29 countries. In 2025, UNHCR will provide those services in new emergencies and in protracted situations.
Humanitarian responses often fail to reflect the concerns of forcibly displaced and stateless people, undermining their rights and their agency and potentially putting them at greater risk. In 2025, UNHCR will support hundreds of grassroots organizations and invest in strengthening communication channels.
UNHCR is committed to ensuring that children who are forced to flee do not miss out on schooling. In 2025, we will aim to provide inclusive, equitable and sustainable education for refugees, ensuring that children caught up in new emergencies can return to school as soon as possible.
More than 60 million women and girls are forcibly displaced and stateless, and they are at particular risk of gender-based violence (GBV). Without more funding, 36 million of them are likely to be unable to access GBV services in 2025.
Health systems are under great strain and forcibly displaced and stateless people face significant health challenges. UNHCR works with governments and partners to provide essential public health services, strengthen national health systems and include refugees in national policies and plans.
Integrating locally can be a lasting solution for refugees and a chance to build a new life, while acquiring a nationality is the overarching solution for millions who are stateless.
Despite record forced displacement, many States have still not acceded to key international agreements on refugees or statelessness, nor have they passed laws on internal displacement.
With millions of refugees unable to go home, resettlement and complementary pathways (such as education, employment, family reunification and humanitarian visas) provide opportunities for long-lasting solutions. UNHCR projects 2.9 million refugees will need resettlement in 2025, up from 2.4 million in 2024
When people are forced to flee from their homes or are stateless, they are often in acutely vulnerable situations, at risk of arbitrary detention, trafficking, gender-based violence, discrimination and more.
Most refugees do not have an unrestricted right to decent work, even though their right to work is protected by international law and their labour can benefit the host economy. In 2025, UNHCR will facilitate and coordinate economic inclusion activities and test new and promising approaches.
Faced with a historic rise in asylum applications, a slew of emergencies, and increasingly complex mixed movements of refugees and migrants, asylum procedures must be able to provide international protection promptly and fairly to those who need it.
UNHCR supports over half a million households with shelter in an average year. In 2025, we will provide durable, climate-resilient and inclusive shelter solutions; and emergency shelter for newly displaced populations.
Record numbers of people are being forced to flee, and very few are able to go home, although the majority routinely say they want to, once they can do so in safety and with dignity. In 2025, UNHCR will help millions of refugees stay informed about the risks and opportunities awaiting them on their return.
When people are forced to flee, they often arrive in new locations with very little, and need immediate support. The most cost-efficient way to support them is with cash. In 2025, UNHCR plans to disburse $500 million in cash to 5 million people in 100 countries.
