The United Nations will appraise its policies on refugees nextweek, due to an increase in armed conflict, the politicization ofasylum law and cuts to international aid,Azernewsreports, citing Arab News.

Governments, civil society, the private sector and academicswill jointly assess progress over the last few years and putforward new solutions at a Global Refugee Forum Review meeting fromMonday to Wednesday.

Donor commitments are also expected, with the UN refugee agencyfacing a massive crisis.

The number of people forcibly displaced worldwide has almostdoubled in the last decade to 117.3 million but funding forinternational aid has slumped, not least after the return of DonaldTrump to the White House.

The United States previously provided more than 40 percent ofthe UNHCR budget but cuts by Washington since January, combinedwith belt-tightening from other major donor countries, have forcedthe organization to shed nearly 5,000 jobs — more than a quarter ofits workforce.

“Now is not the moment to step back — it is the moment toreinforce partnerships and send a clear message to refugees andhost countries: you are not alone,” said UNHCR’s chief of theglobal compact on refugees section, Nicolas Brass.

The number of people forced to flee persecution, conflict,violence, human rights violations and serious unrest increased in2024 to a record 123.2 million refugees, internally displaced andasylum-seekers.

At the end of last year, just over a third were from Sudan (14.3million), Syria (13.5 million), Afghanistan (10.3 million) orUkraine (8.8 million).

“Across countries and communities, support for refugeescontinues,” said Brass, adding that two-thirds of the pledges madeat the last Global Refugee Forum were “fulfilled or inprogress.”

- ‘Serious risk’ -

According to the UNHCR, 10 countries have adopted new labor lawsauthorizing refugees to work since 2019, which has helped more than500,000 people.

Ten countries have strengthened their asylum system, includingChad, which adopted its very first asylum law.

But in a recent report, UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said the“sharp decline” in funding this year and that “available solutionsfall far short of global needs.”

“Hard-won improvements are at serious risk,” he added. “Withoutrenewed political will, sustained financing and coherentmultilateral cooperation, these pressures threaten to erode thevery systems we have worked tirelessly to build.”

Grandi is due to step down after 10 years at the helm and isexpected to be succeeded by Iraq’s former president BarhamSalih.

“The global context is deteriorating amid continued conflict,record civilian deaths... and deepening political divides, whichare driving displacement and straining the system,” said Brass.

The UNHCR said burden-sharing remained unequal. Countries withonly 27 percent of global wealth are hosting 80 percent of theworld’s refugees.

The agency recently highlighted that three-quarters of displacedpeople live in countries at high or even extreme risk from climatechange.

From Monday, discussions among the 1,800 delegates and 200refugees will center around five themes: innovative financing;inclusion; safe pathways to third countries; transforming refugeecamps into “humane settlements“; and long-term solutions.

Parallel events dedicated to major displacement situations willalso be held, notably on Syria, Sudan and the Rohingya refugeecrisis.