Seventy-Five Years Later, the Right to Seek Safety Remains as Urgent as Ever

Arlington, Va., (June 18, 2026) – On World Refugee Day, ECDC joins UNHCR and partners worldwide in affirming a fundamental principle: the right to seek safety belongs to everyone, everywhere. This year’s commemoration carries added significance as the international community marks the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the founding document that established refugee protection as a matter of international law and shared responsibility. 

“According to the latest figures from UNHCR, more than 42 million refugees worldwide and over 117 million people have

been forcibly displaced by conflict, violence, and persecution. This is a sobering reality for us to reflect upon as we mark

World Refugee Day,” said Tsehaye Teferra (PhD), President and CEO of ECDC. “At a time of unprecedented displacement, we must pursue policies that protect the right to seek refuge, strengthen humanitarian response, and invest in long-term solutions that enable displaced individuals and families to live with dignity, security, and hope.” 

UNHCR’s framing this year, “The right to seek safety was made for you and me,” underscores a message that ECDC sees demonstrated daily in our work: that safety is not divisible. No community is fully secure while others remain in danger, and no nation stands apart from the responsibility to protect those fleeing persecution, conflict, and violence,” he added

Seventy-five years after the Convention’s adoption, the need for it has not diminished. Today, more people are displaced worldwide than at any point in recorded history. The principles established in 1951 — that people fleeing danger have the right to seek protection, and that returning them to harm is prohibited — remain as urgent now as they were then. 

ECDC calls on policymakers and all stakeholders to recommit to these principles: to ensure fair and efficient asylum processes, to support refugees’ ability to rebuild their lives through work, education, and community integration, and to uphold the international protections that have, for 75 years, given millions a path to safety. 

We extend our gratitude to the communities, volunteers, and partners who make this work possible, and we recommit ourselves to the mission at the heart of the 1951 Convention: that everyone has the right to seek safety, and that this right is made for all of us. 

For the past 42 years, ECDC has stood alongside refugees and immigrants in the United States, helping individuals and families find safety, rebuild their lives, and pursue opportunities that strengthen both their futures and the communities they call home. 

For media inquiries, contact:  lpaulos@ecdcus.org