Nami Asaka reported that 123 million people are now forcibly displaced—about double a decade ago—due to cascading crises across regions and compounded climate factors. Quoting former High Commissioner Sadako Ogata’s words that “there are no humanitarian solutions to humanitarian problems—only political solutions,” she emphasized that genuine solutions must be forged under multilateralism at the UN. She added that displacement cannot be resolved by governments alone and called for the participation of civil society, business, and local authorities, expressing expectations for Japan’s leadership as co-chair of the Global Refugee Forum.
Reporter: Koki Imon
For more details of this meeting, please see here.
Full Statement (English Translation)
“Thank you for the invitation. UNHCR supports and protects people forced to flee—refugees and internally displaced persons.
As Mr. Chatterjee noted, we are at our lowest point since World War II. One figure symbolizes this: 123 million people are now forcibly displaced worldwide—about twice the number ten years ago—and the trend keeps rising. This results from a chain of humanitarian crises across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, further compounded by climate change, making resolution difficult.
That figure is almost equal to Japan’s population.
As Director Nemoto also mentioned, former High Commissioner Sadako Ogata often said: ‘There are no humanitarian solutions to humanitarian problems; only political solutions.’ Such solutions must be forged under multilateralism—at the United Nations.
While the UN is a forum of governments, these issues cannot be solved by governments alone. Cooperation from civil society, the private sector, and local authorities is indispensable.
Since 2019, UNHCR has convened the Global Refugee Forum as a multi-actor platform. Japan serves as co-chair from 2023 to 2027. A mid-term progress review will be held in Geneva this December, and we look forward to Japan’s continued leadership. Thank you.”
