Qatar Stresses Importance of Continuing to Strengthen International Solidarity to Address Root Causes of Displacement, Asylum
Geneva, October 8 , 2025
The State of Qatar has stressed the importance of continuing to strengthen international solidarity to address the root causes of displacement and asylum, provide sufficient resources to meet urgent humanitarian needs, support refugee-hosting countries, and work to find durable and sustainable solutions for refugees.
The State of Qatar emphasized that achieving peace and ending conflicts are the best way to end the suffering of millions of displaced persons and refugees around the world.
This came in a statement by the State of Qatar, delivered Wednesday by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar in Geneva Dr. Hind bint Abdulrahman Al Muftah, during her participation in the (76) session of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as part of the general debate held in Geneva.
Her Excellency expressed the State of Qatar's deep appreciation for the great efforts made by HE Filippo Grandi during his leadership of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) over the past ten years, and his distinguished contributions to enhancing refugee protection and coordinating international humanitarian action, wishing him every success in his future endeavors.
Her Excellency stressed that the figures issued by the UNHCR reflect a disturbing reality, with the number of forcibly displaced people exceeding 122 million, including more than 42 million refugees. This comes at a time when the Commission and the humanitarian community are facing a severe funding gap that threatens the continuity of essential life-saving programs.
Her Excellency strongly condemned the ongoing aggression, crimes of genocide, starvation, and forced displacement perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
She called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and take urgent measures to compel the occupying authorities to immediately halt their aggression, ensure full access to humanitarian aid, and enable the return of all Palestinians to their areas of origin.
She emphasized that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East is to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and find a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian refugee issue.
Her Excellency also called for increased support for UNRWA to enable it to fulfill its mandate towards more than 5.9 million Palestinian refugees, and to reject any attempts to reduce its role or end its mandate, as this would undermine the rights of Palestinian refugees and undermine their just cause.
Her Excellency affirmed the State of Qatar's commitment to strengthening its strategic partnership with UNHCR, noting the holding of the first high-level strategic dialogue between the two sides last May, with the aim of enhancing cooperation to address the challenges of asylum and forced displacement globally.
She noted that this dialogue resulted in the signing of three agreements: the first to provide $8 million to support the UNHCR's budget for 2025-2026; the second, worth $3 million, to support the UNHCR's health program in Jordan, enabling Syrian refugees to access healthcare; and the third, to provide cash assistance to approximately 2,500 of the most vulnerable people in Yemen.
She also said that the total contributions provided by the State of Qatar and Qatari entities to UNHCR since 2010 amounted to approximately $423 million, covering various sectors, most notably education, health, relief, and development.
Her Excellency highlighted Qatar's effective contribution to supporting refugees and displaced persons and alleviating their suffering around the world without discrimination, in addition to its diplomatic and humanitarian mediation efforts aimed at reducing conflicts and promoting peace.
She said that the State of Qatar, through the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), signed a $5 million agreement with UNHCR last September to rehabilitate social infrastructure in Ukraine. Qatar also continues its efforts to reunite Ukrainian and Russian children with their families, with 107 children reunited with their families since the start of Qatari mediation.
Her Excellency also noted the success of Qatari mediation last July in the signing of the Doha Declaration of Principles between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement, an important step toward achieving peace and security and the safe and dignified return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes.
She noted the opening of the Al Amal Residential City in northern Syria last January to shelter those affected by the crisis, in partnership between Qatar Charity and the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation, providing decent housing for hundreds of displaced families returning to Syria.
Her Excellency noted that in Sudan, the State of Qatar, through the Qatar Fund for Development, launched a humanitarian initiative in the Wadai region of eastern Chad to assist approximately 2,000 refugee families affected by the war.
In October 2024, it signed a $2 million agreement with the UNHCR to provide essential assistance in South Sudan to approximately 240,000 people fleeing the conflict in Sudan.
HE the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar in Geneva reiterated Qatar's unwavering commitment to shared humanitarian values, its support for multilateral humanitarian action, and the strengthening of partnerships that preserve human dignity, provide protection, and support sustainable solutions for refugees and displaced persons worldwide.