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Statement on UNHCR’s 75th Anniversary: Kaldor Centre and RCOA

Now more than ever, the world must support UNHCR to continue its life-saving work.

Published on the 11 December 2025
Member of Ismail Ibrahim's family with a ball decorated as a globe that has been received at the Vinojug Reception Center just inside the Macedonian border from Greece. ; 80 year-old Ismail and his extended family fled from northeast Syria 4 years ago, at the beginning of the war. They fled to Turkey where they tried to live a normal life, but they were unable to pay rent of a two-bedroom house. They had no choice but to risk their lives again. This time to Europe. After crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Turkey to Greece, Ismail leads 23 family members, three generations of his family, mainly his daughters, his sons-in-law and grandchildren to safety, hoping to go to Germany.From January 1st to September 28, 2015, 520,957 refugees and migrants have arrived on European Mediterranean shores, 80 per cent of whom originate from the world’s top 10 refugee-producing countries. Over 50 per cent of the new arrivals are Syrians. 387,520 refugees and migrants land on Greek shores in hopes to continue their journey through the Balkan countries to Austria, Germany or Sweden. Tragically, 2,980 migrants and refugees have lost their lives attempting to find safety in the European Union.
UNHCR/Mark Henley

The Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law and the Refugee Council of Australia join the international community in commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Since its establishment on 14 December 1950, UNHCR has protected the rights of millions of refugees and others forced to flee their homes. Its achievements have twice been recognised with the Nobel Peace Prize – in 1954 and 1981.

UNHCR’s formal mandate is contained in its 1950 Statute, which requires it to provide international protection to refugees and seek durable solutions to their plight. UNHCR plays a critical role in promoting and supervising the application of the treaties which underlie the international protection regime – the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol – seeking to ensure that governments uphold their legal commitments to those seeking safety.

Over the past 75 years, UNHCR has evolved from a temporary body mainly assisting Europeans displaced by war into a permanent institution operating in more than 130 countries. Today, it works across law, policy and practice to protect and assist refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and stateless people. This includes supporting governments to meet their international obligations, providing guidance on asylum legislation and policy, and seeking durable solutions for refugees, including voluntary repatriation, resettlement and local integration.

UNHCR’s legal mandate is now also complemented by its operational role in a range of displacement contexts, delivering life-saving assistance including shelter, food, water and basic household items, as well as support to access education and medical care. UNHCR works to ensure that sustainable, longer-term planning is embedded from the start of any emergency, while always ensuring that protection remains at the heart of its humanitarian response.

On UNHCR’s 75th anniversary, the challenges are profound. One in every 70 people on Earth is displaced. Conflict, persecution, human rights abuses and the impacts of climate change and disasters are contributing to displacement at near-record levels. At the same time, some States are adopting ever-restrictive policies and processes to block access to their territory and undermine refugee rights.

Moreover, recent government funding cuts have left UNHCR facing a $1.3 billion shortfall compared to 2024. As a result, the agency has been forced to eliminate 5,000 positions, close or merge 185 offices, and cut life-saving programs. UNHCR’s budget has now reverted to the level of a decade ago – despite being responsible for twice as many displaced people today.

Scientia Professor Jane McAdam AO, the Founding Director of the Kaldor Centre, said:

'For 75 years, UNHCR has worked to ensure that people who are forced to flee are treated with dignity and fairness, and granted the protection they are owed as a matter of law. Displacement remains a global challenge, and the fundamental principles that guide UNHCR’s work remain as relevant and important as ever. This is why the international community must ensure that UNHCR is properly resourced and supported to continue its life-saving work.'

Paul Power, the CEO of the Refugee Council of Australia, said:

With more people forcibly displaced than ever before, the world needs UNHCR more than it ever has. The savage cuts to UNHCR’s funding have forced the closure or scaling back of many vital programs offering food assistance, health support, the protection of children and women at risk, and strategies to protect refugees from forced return to persecution. The Australian Government must take every opportunity to advocate internationally for UNHCR, leading by example by increasing funding for its work.

The Kaldor Centre and the Refugee Council of Australia acknowledge UNHCR’s extraordinary contribution to international refugee law and call on governments around the world to uphold the principles of humanity and legality that underpin its enduring mission. Protecting people forced to flee is not only a humanitarian imperative – it is a legal obligation.