On the 75th anniversary of the landmark 1951 UN Refugee Convention, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has issued a grave warning: the global system designed to protect those fleeing war and persecution is under unprecedented threat. According to statements made on September 18, 2025, by Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, assistant high commissioner for protection at UNHCR, governments around the world—especially the United States and several European countries—are eroding the very foundations of asylum protections that have saved millions of lives since World War II. "I am not exaggerating when I say that the institution of asylum around the world is now more threatened than ever," Menikdiwela told reporters in Geneva, as reported by Arab News and other outlets.
The 1951 Refugee Convention, along with its 1967 Protocol, defines who qualifies as a refugee and sets out the obligations of countries that receive them. These documents were forged in the aftermath of the Second World War, with the hope of preventing a repeat of the horrors that left millions stateless and vulnerable. Yet, as the world marks this significant anniversary, UNHCR officials say the principles enshrined in these agreements are being sidelined at an alarming rate.
One of the most troubling trends, according to the UNHCR, is the growing number of countries suspending the processing of asylum applications. These applications are lifelines for people who say they face war or persecution at home due to their religion, race, nationality, sexuality, or political beliefs. The United States, especially during the Trump administration, and several European nations have not only tightened asylum rules but have also entered into bilateral agreements with third countries—many in Africa—to deport migrants or transfer the entire responsibility for asylum processing elsewhere. "Some of those agreements are actually being concluded even as we speak," Menikdiwela said during a briefing, as cited by Arab News.
Greece, for example, has temporarily suspended asylum processing amid a surge of arrivals from Sudan, with many refugees landing on the island of Crete. The situation there underscores a wider pattern: as pressure mounts, countries in the so-called Global North—those with the resources to provide sanctuary—are increasingly shifting responsibility to poorer nations. "Asylum is under threat, but it is more under threat in the countries that are more capable of bearing that responsibility than in the countries which are actually hosting the largest number of refugees," Menikdiwela observed, according to Arab News and the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, a global humanitarian funding crisis is compounding the problem. Over 122 million people are currently displaced worldwide, many fleeing conflict or persecution. Yet, as Menikdiwela pointed out, about 75% of the world’s more than 43 million refugees are being hosted in low- and middle-income countries. These nations—often struggling with their own economic and social challenges—shoulder the bulk of the burden, while wealthier countries debate how much responsibility they are willing to take on.
One country that exemplifies this imbalance is Chad, a nation of 20 million people in East Africa. Chad currently hosts 1.5 million refugees, the vast majority of them Sudanese who have fled the ongoing civil war in their homeland. UNHCR programs in Chad are severely underfunded, leaving refugees in dire straits. Menikdiwela, who recently visited a refugee camp there, described scenes of men, women, and children wandering with bullet and shrapnel wounds. She recounted the harrowing experience of an 80-year-old woman who reported being raped multiple times, highlighting the unprecedented levels of sexual violence faced by women and girls in these camps. "There are people—men, women and children—wandering around with bullet wounds and shrapnel wounds," Menikdiwela said, as reported by Arab News and the Associated Press.
Despite these hardships, Chad’s decision to keep its borders open has saved countless lives. "The refugees who I met wouldn't be alive if Chad hadn't respected the refugee convention and allowed them across its borders," Menikdiwela noted. Yet, with resources stretched thin, the UNHCR fears that if support does not increase, many refugees in Chad will attempt the perilous journey northward, through Libya and toward Europe—further fueling the cycle of displacement and danger.
UNHCR has called on world leaders to step up donations and support, arguing that the only way to prevent dangerous onward migration is to address refugees’ needs where they are. "Many refugees in Chad will continue to head north, through Libya, towards Europe if their needs are not met in the East African country," Menikdiwela warned. The agency stresses that while refugee arrivals in the Global North may dominate headlines, the vast majority of displaced people remain in regions with far fewer resources to help them survive and rebuild their lives.
However, the UNHCR has also acknowledged that not every asylum claim is legitimate. Menikdiwela admitted that some migrants abuse the asylum system, moving for economic or other reasons rather than fleeing war or persecution. This reality, she said, does not diminish the urgent need to protect genuine refugees but does underscore the complexity of the current crisis. In response to these challenges, the UNHCR has expressed support for the concept of "return centers"—sometimes called deportation centers—that are gaining traction in the US and Europe. These facilities are intended to process and, when appropriate, repatriate migrants who do not qualify for refugee status.
Anti-asylum and anti-migrant sentiment is on the rise in many parts of the world, adding another layer of difficulty for those seeking protection. The humanitarian funding shortfall, combined with political resistance in wealthier countries, threatens to unravel decades of progress. "Those two pieces of paper have saved millions of lives in the past and will save millions of lives in the future," Menikdiwela said, referring to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. But as the international community marks this milestone, the question remains: will the world’s most vulnerable continue to find sanctuary, or will the doors close when they need help most?
The UNHCR’s message is clear: upholding the refugee protection framework is not just a matter of legal obligation, but of basic human decency. As global crises multiply and displacement reaches record highs, the fate of millions hangs in the balance. The choices made by governments today will determine whether the promise of safety and dignity for refugees endures—or becomes a relic of the past.
