Statement by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Latvia Mr. Oļegs Iļģis at the UN Security Council Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
September 25, 2026
Mr. President ,
At the outset, I would like to thank High Commissioner Barham Salih for his briefing to the Security Council, and for sharing his assessment of the stark reality.
Since this is the first time the High Commissioner is briefing the Security Council, we would like to wish him all the success in your efforts and hope that the tradition of such briefings will continue.
We welcome the Minister of Foreign affairs of Panama and Additional Foreign Secretary of Pakistan to the Chamber.
Mr. President,
As it was mentioned by the Hugh Commissioner, the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide at the end of 2025 was estimated at around 118 million.
- Many of them continue to be uprooted from their homes and families for an unknown period of time.
- Many of them are young children who will grow up not knowing where their real home is.
- Many of them are displaced women and girls who face specific challenges and protection risks, including an increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence. Gender-based violence can be a reason for flight, can occur during flight and can pose a real danger in the country of asylum.
Mr. President,
Current raging wars and conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, the Middle East, Myanmar and elsewhere, as well as resulting displacement, have regional and global effects.
Russia continues to escalate its deadly aerial attacks in Ukraine, killing and endangering the civilian population and destroying civilian infrastructure. Indiscriminate attacks in densely populated areas are destroying residential buildings and causing the number of civilian casualties to skyrocket. As a result, there were almost 700,000 newly displaced Ukrainians within the country in 2025. Many have been displaced several times. In the first eight months of 2026, more civilians were killed and injured in Ukraine than during the entire year of 2025. Civilian casualties, large-scale displacement, and deepening humanitarian needs remain the everyday reality in Ukraine.
Due to the protracted conflict, the people of Sudan continue to face one of the largest displacement crises in the world. Nearly one third of the population was left with no choice other than to leave their home and seek survival elsewhere. Millions are still searching for safety, food and basic services.
Across the Middle East, renewed hostilities and ongoing crises continue to drive displacement and deepen the vulnerabilities of refugees, internally displaced persons and host communities. Yet, recent developments also show that when circumstances permit, displaced persons seek to return, reinforcing the importance of sustained efforts to create the conditions for voluntary, safe and dignified returns. In this regard, we would like to highlight the positive example of Syria, where more than 1.8 million Syrians have returned to their country and will participate in shaping its future.
Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh now host more than one million people, making them the largest refugee settlement in the world. This is not a record the international community can be proud of.
Mr. President,
It is hard to ignore the fact that the impact of climate change continues to grow. Most refugees and internally displaced people are from highly climate-vulnerable countries. Climate shock adds to the challenges and makes the conditions for sustained peace and safe return more difficult to achieve. Therefore, the Security Council must take climate and environmental challenges into account and focus on Climate, Peace and Security in conflict-prevention and peacebuilding frameworks.
UN agencies and their humanitarian workers must always have safe and unhindered access to those in need. As obvious as it may sound, unfortunately we still have to remind today that ensuring humanitarian access is a legal obligation of every State under international law.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that humanitarian aid alone will not create the conditions for a safe return home. The Security Council has the responsibility to address the structural causes of displacement, not just the humanitarian consequences.
I thank you.