New UNHCR Chief Unveils Bold Plan to Halve Protracted Refugee Displacement by 2035

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih delivered his first briefing to the Security Council with a stark message: 117 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide, solutions are not keeping pace with need, and the international community must shift from managing displacement to ending it. In a sweeping session that touched every major crisis on the globe — from Sudan to Syria, the DRC to Yemen — 15 delegations laid bare sharp divides over burden-sharing, asylum reform, and accountability, even as they voiced near-unanimous support for the new chief's ambitious "50 by 35" framework.

• UNHCR chief sets "50 by 35" target to halve the number of refugees in protracted displacement who remain dependent on humanitarian aid by 2035
• Sudan declared the world's largest displacement crisis, with over 14 million forced to flee; delegations demand a humanitarian truce the Council has yet to deliver
• 3.8 million Syrians have returned home since December 2024, marking one of the largest voluntary repatriation movements in UNHCR history
• UNHCR budget crisis deepens: financing needs hit $8.5 billion while actual resources fall to roughly $3.2 billion — less than half of recent years
• DRC accuses Rwanda of settling nationals in emptied Congolese villages, calling it a "ticking time bomb" before the Council
• United States calls for asylum system reform, reporting $1.4 billion in FY 2025 contributions while urging UNHCR to crack down on economic migrants
• UNHCR declares Level 1 emergency for Yemen, Djibouti, and Somalia as new escalation displaces tens of thousands