Arab Migration Process Marks World Refugee Day, Calls for Greater Support for Refugees and Host Countries

The Arab Regional Consultative Process on Migration and Refugee Affairs (ARCP) marked World Refugee Day on Saturday by calling for stronger international support for refugees and host communities, while warning that ongoing conflicts and instability across the region continue to exacerbate displacement and humanitarian challenges.

In a communiqué issued on the occasion, the ARCP said refugees are entitled to fundamental rights guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the right to life, liberty and security. The group stressed the importance of ensuring that refugees can live in safety and dignity and urged countries to fully implement the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees, particularly the principles of burden-sharing and responsibility-sharing.

The organization noted that escalating political and security crises in the region have increased pressure on refugee populations already living in Arab countries and could have broader implications for migration and human mobility throughout the region.

The communiqué reaffirmed that the issue of Palestinian refugees remains at the heart of the Palestinian cause and rejected any attempts to displace Palestinians from their land or relocate them within or outside the Palestinian territories. It also underscored the importance of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), calling for continued financial, political and legal support to enable the agency to carry out its mandate.

The ARCP warned against efforts to alter the legal status or internationally recognized definition of Palestinian refugees, saying such measures could undermine their rights and contribute to attempts to resolve the issue outside the framework of international law.

The statement also highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, describing it as one of the world’s most severe displacement emergencies. Citing figures from the U.N. refugee agency, the ARCP said more than 4 million Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries since the outbreak of conflict, while over 800,000 refugees previously residing in Sudan have been forced to return to their countries despite ongoing insecurity. An additional 7.6 million people remain internally displaced within Sudan.