Seventy-five years after the Refugee Convention, the crisis deepens

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ 

It is World Refugee Day once again—a day on which we are called to remember and honour the strength, courage, and resilience of people who have been forced to flee their countries in order to escape conflict, violence, persecution, and insecurity. The day is significant because it shines a light on the rights, needs, and aspirations of refugees while mobilising political will and resources to ensure that they can not only survive but also thrive. This special observance was first established on 20 June 2001, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

The Refugee Convention was adopted on 28 July 1951, with about twenty nations as its original signatories. This year marks its 75th anniversary. Today, 149 countries have signed the Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Adopted in the aftermath of two devastating world wars, the Convention emerged from a determination never again to abandon those fleeing persecution and violence. Seventy-five years ago, the world made a solemn promise: people forced to flee have the right to seek and live in safety. That promise was never intended for a select few; it was meant for every human being. Three-quarters of a century later, its relevance has never been greater. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), nearly 118 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide by the end of 2025—roughly one in every seventy people on the planet.

This year's theme, “Until Everyone Is Safe,” is a reminder that safety is not a privilege reserved for a few but a fundamental human right—the right to life and to live with dignity. As long as people are forced to flee conflict, persecution, climate-induced disasters, or environmental degradation, our collective responsibility remains. Safety is not merely the absence of violence. It encompasses legal protection, shelter, healthcare, education, the right to work, and the opportunity to rebuild lives with dignity and hope.

No one is truly safe until the most vulnerable among us are safe. Protecting refugees strengthens communities, promotes stability, and saves lives. At a time when displacement is rising across the globe, we must reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that refugees move beyond mere survival towards a future rooted in rights, justice, dignity, and hope.

The 1951 Convention outlines both the rights of refugees and their obligations towards host countries. At its core lies the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning a refugee to a country where their life or freedom would be under serious threat. This protection, however, does not extend to individuals who pose a danger to the security of the host country or who have been convicted of particularly serious crimes.

The Convention guarantees refugees several important rights, including protection against arbitrary expulsion, freedom from punishment for illegal entry when fleeing persecution, the right to work, housing, education, public assistance, freedom of religion, access to courts, freedom of movement, and the issuance of identity and travel documents. While certain fundamental protections apply to all refugees, additional rights accrue over time as refugees remain in the host country, reflecting their growing need for stability and integration.

The Catholic Church has consistently taken an unequivocal stand in support of refugees. Pope Francis never missed an opportunity to highlight their plight and to urge the world to welcome, protect, promote, and integrate them. Pope Leo XIV has continued this legacy. During his recent pastoral visit to Spain, he repeatedly spoke about the rights and dignity of refugees and migrants. He also visited the Canary Islands, where he met and listened to several refugees.

In his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026), Pope Leo writes:

“A litmus test for social justice today is the treatment of migrants, refugees and those forced to move due to poverty, violence, climate change and environmental disasters. The way a society treats them reveals whether its sense of justice is driven by fear or by the spirit of fraternity. Pope Francis urged us to see migrants not simply as a problem to be managed, but as a living image of the People of God on the move. They are people with dignity, resources and dreams, who have the right to be treated with respect and to become active members of the societies that welcome them.”

The Pope further emphasises that social justice requires two complementary commitments. The first is protecting those who are forced to leave their homes by ensuring safe and legal migration pathways, dignified reception conditions, and meaningful opportunities for integration. The second is promoting the right of people to remain in their homelands by addressing the root causes of displacement, including war, poverty, economic injustice, and the climate crisis. When these rights are respected, migration can become an opportunity for encounter, solidarity, and mutual enrichment among peoples.

India once took pride in embodying the spirit of the ancient Sanskrit phrase Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—“the world is one family.” Hospitality towards strangers and those in distress seemed deeply embedded in our civilisational ethos. We had visionary leaders who demonstrated this spirit through action. Jawaharlal Nehru welcomed Tibetan refugees, Indira Gandhi responded compassionately to those fleeing the Bangladesh Liberation War, and Rajiv Gandhi extended support to Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka.

Sadly, that spirit appears to be fading. India is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention, and today xenophobia, hyper-nationalism, exclusion, and suspicion seem increasingly pervasive. Policies such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and exercises like the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) have generated widespread concerns about discrimination and exclusion, particularly among Muslims. The marginalisation of minorities, Adivasis, Dalits, migrant workers, and vulnerable communities—including refugees such as the Rohingyas—raises troubling questions about our commitment to justice and equality. In Ahmedabad, for example, thousands of poor Muslims recently saw their homes demolished because they were allegedly suspected of being Bangladeshi migrants.

In a message for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees last October, Pope Leo XIV observed:

“In a world darkened by war and injustice, even when all seems lost, migrants and refugees stand as messengers of hope. Their courage and tenacity bear heroic testimony to a faith that sees beyond what our eyes can see and gives them the strength to defy death on the various contemporary migration routes.”

As we mark World Refugee Day, the questions before us are both simple and profound. Do we have the courage to stand in solidarity with refugees? Are we willing to accompany them in their search for a more just, equitable, humane, and fraternal future? Will we remain committed to their dignity and rights—until everyone is safe?

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Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights activist, peace advocate, and writer