UNHCR Chief Unveils Plan to Halve Refugee Displacement in a Decade

UNHCR's new High Commissioner used the UN General Assembly's biggest stage to announce two sweeping commitments: a global university scholarship network for refugees and a 10-year goal to cut protracted displacement by half. Goodwill Ambassador Mary Maker, a former Kakuma refugee camp resident, made the case personal — detailing the systemic barriers that block millions of refugee children from classrooms, degrees, and jobs.

• UNHCR High Commissioner sets bold target to reduce by half the number of refugees stuck in long-term displacement and dependent on humanitarian aid within 10 years
• Global scholarship network announced, building on the German-funded DAFI program, to connect refugee students with universities and philanthropies worldwide
• Goodwill Ambassador Mary Maker details compounding barriers refugees face from overcrowded primary classrooms to inaccessible university scholarships and unemployable degrees
• Kenya and Ethiopia cited as models for refugee inclusion through documentation, job market access, and land for cultivation
• Every $1 invested in refugee education returns $20 in GDP for host nations, UNHCR chief argues, framing the case as economic as well as moral

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Mary Maker brought the reality of refugee education to the SDG Media Zone panel during the 81st UN General Assembly High-Level Week, drawing on her own experience growing up in Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp.