Outgoing United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has expressed deep concern over growing global divisions, warning that increasing fragmentation is intensifying conflicts and humanitarian crises worldwide.
Reflecting on his decade-long leadership of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Grandi said one of the most alarming trends has been how global polarization has rendered the international community increasingly incapable of resolving conflicts. He noted that such divisions have also fueled hostility toward people fleeing violence and war in search of safety.
The Italian diplomat warned that geopolitical fragmentation is aggravating crises across the globe, leaving the world “incapable of making peace.” According to Grandi, the erosion of unity and cooperation has severely weakened efforts to prevent and resolve armed conflicts.
Speaking at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva ahead of the end of his term, Grandi said he remained inspired by the compassion and hospitality shown by communities around the world toward displaced people over the past decade. However, he also highlighted grave human rights violations in countries such as Myanmar and Sudan, underscoring the scale of ongoing humanitarian suffering.
Grandi, 68, will formally hand over leadership of UNHCR to Barham Salih, 65, a former President of Iraq who served from 2018 to 2022 and is himself a former refugee.
Source: AFP