UNHCR submission to the International Development Committee inquiry into FCDO’s approach to displaced people

UNHCR

This written submission to the International Development Committee’s (IDC) inquiry highlights the growing global crisis of forced displacement, which has seen over 122 million people living in displacement as of mid-2024, with a majority residing in low- and middle-income countries. The submission outlines how the climate crisis is exacerbating displacement, compounding vulnerabilities and jeopardising solutions. 

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, outlines key areas for consideration, starting with the importance of multilateralism and existing international frameworks such as the 1951 Refugee Convention and the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) which aims to transform responses to refugee crises. The United Kingdom (UK) is encouraged to apply and promote these frameworks effectively, including through cooperation and responsibility-sharing with those countries most impacted by displacement. 

In this respect, the submission highlights the importance of UK engagement in support of those countries hosting large refugee populations to ensure access to protection, and to encourage the inclusion of refugees in national economies and service delivery systems. Noting the role of climate change as a risk multiplier, the submission calls for targeted investments to support displaced populations in climate-affected areas. It also underlines the opportunity for the UK to tackle the root causes of displacement, and to pursue a ‘route-based approach’ that addresses the risk factors driving ‘mixed’ movements of refugees and migrants, through simultaneous interventions in countries of origin, host countries, transit and destination countries that provide real alternatives to dangerous journeys.

UNHCR suggests that the UK seeks to leverage development investments in displacement settings, ensuring that humanitarian efforts are solution oriented and complemented by long-term development strategies. Civil society engagement is described as critical for effective responses, and this is in line with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) focus on equitable partnerships with local and national actors. Overall, UNHCR calls for sustained and increased support for programmes which benefit displaced people and their host communities, emphasising the urgency of the issue and advocating for strategic approaches to this global challenge.