Religious Leaders Unite for Climate Peace in Solidarity with Refugees

12 December 2023, Geneva: Religions for Peace-UNHCR Multi-religious Council of Leaders join other faith leaders from around the world to issue a statement today on the occasion of the Global Refugee Forum.

“We recognise that while our commitments are important contributions, there are more humanitarian needs than humanitarian resources available for the 36.4 million refugees worldwide today.  The consequences are stark, affecting displaced people and the communities hosting them. By doing so, we recommit to the “Welcoming the Stranger: Affirmations for Faith Leaders” 2012

We have come to the Global Refugee Forum, held in Geneva this week from 13-15 December 2023, to pledge our collective support to refugees, share the responsibility with those who host them and work together and inter-religiously where possible to improve the lives of refugees regardless of their nationality, race, religious beliefs, class, or political opinions.

We challenge the representations of refugees in our media, reminding ourselves and our communities that seeking asylum is a basic human right and that attitudes and policies can create real-life harm, marginalizing and dehumanizing people who are escaping war, disaster and persecution.

We commit to uniting around our common values, goals and activities and establishing effective and long-lasting partnerships to protect and support refugees, those displaced by climate change and their host countries, magnifying the impact of everyone’s efforts.

In our work, we will continue speaking up and defending the individual right to seek asylum, currently under threat in many countries. We will advocate for safe passage, humanitarian corridors, and facilitation of humanitarian visas.

We recognize the contribution of refugees. They bring their skills, ambitions, courage, and dreams for peace to their communities through forgiveness and reconciliation.

We welcome the opportunity the Global Refugee Forum provides to work inter-religiously and with other sectors– states, the private sector and charitable foundations, international financial institutions, UN agencies, humanitarian and development organisations of all sizes, cities and local authorities, refugee-led organisations, academics, individual citizens and others.

We pledge concrete action to support refugees.  We commit to using our voices to show that change is possible and that there is a path from despair to hope and from hope to action.

We call on religious leaders everywhere to join us.”