WASHINGTON, June 20, 2026 —Since it was first established by the United Nations in 2001, World Refugee Day has generated lifesaving resources, awareness, and political will to support the needs of refugees stuck in protracted displacement. This year, as the world prepares to mark the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention on July 28, the faith-based international humanitarian organization CWS calls on the international community to uphold its commitment to international refugee law and reaffirm the fundamental rights of refugees worldwide to asylum and protection.
Today, one in every 70 people worldwide is forcibly displaced, yet resettlement of refugees decreased sharply in the past year, dropping by more than half to just 81,800 in 2025. Families remain trapped in long-term displacement for years, with few pathways to self-reliance. Vulnerable people who have been forced to flee war and persecution urgently need not only refuge, but also durable solutions to help them rebuild their lives.
This year, amidst rising threats and displacement crises, World Refugee Day presents a critical opportunity to reaffirm and strengthen adherence to the Refugee Convention to save lives and protect refugees more effectively.
Today, Rick Santos, President and CEO of Church World Service issued the following statement:
“World Refugee Day is a tremendously important moment to celebrate the courage and humanity of refugees everywhere, and to renew our commitment to welcoming them as neighbors in our communities. This year, however, is also a moment of reckoning. Given the scale of needs and the dramatic drop in resettlement, we have a responsibility to defend refuge. In this moment, we are called to stand up for people trapped in exile, to scale up our advocacy for just policies and laws that keep refugees safe, to renew our commitment to welcome, hope, and empathy as core American ideals, and to honor the contributions of refugees in communities everywhere.
In the past year, the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, enshrined in U.S. law by the Refugee Act of 1980, is in peril. It is profoundly disappointing to see the dismantling of a program that has such longstanding bipartisan support and such a proven legacy of saving lives and enablings opportunity. Asylum and protection for those forced to flee war and persecution should not be eroded with divisive rhetoric. The time is now to put our compassion into action and come together to defend refuge in our daily lives, at the ballot box, and around the kitchen table.”
According to a new UN report released in June, at the end of 2025, 117.8 million people had been displaced due to violence, persecution, disaster and conflict, including 41 million refugees, 39 percent of whom are children. The number of displaced people worldwide is projected to rise to 136 million by the end of 2026 and an estimated 2.37 million refugees across 76 countries will need resettlement in 2027.
Founded in 1946 after World War II, CWS has helped resettle more than 865,000 refugees in the United States. CWS operates the Resettlement Support Center in Africa, which guides all U.S.-bound refugees from sub-Saharan Africa through the long resettlement process. The organization also has a network of more than 40 local offices across the United States that work alongside communities to provide refugee resettlement and integration programs, including reception, housing, employment support, legal services and long-term integration support. Around the world, CWS assists refugees and transforms communities with just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement, and disasters.
For more information, contact media@cwsglobal.org or visit the CWS World Refugee Page.