Madam/Mr Chair,

I am speaking on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

More than one year has passed since Russia started its full scale invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine, which has brought death and destruction and forced some 15 million Ukrainians to flee their homes. The EU and its Member States reiterate our resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes an unacceptable violation of the UN Charter, as recalled by several UN General Assembly resolutions. Russia’s war has not only brought immense suffering upon Ukraine and its people, but have had far-reaching negative consequences across the globe, effecting some of the most vulnerable worldwide. Russia must stop this atrocious war immediately and withdraw its forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

The European Union and its Member States will stand by Ukraine and the Ukrainian people with steadfast support for as long as it takes. Russia’s continuing deadly, indiscriminate strikes against civilians and civilian infrastructure are international crimes and must stop. International humanitarian law, including on the treatment of prisoners of war, must be ensured and respected.

The EU and its Member States are particularly concerned about the reports of children from Ukraine being forcibly brought to the Russian Federation. Children’s rights and interests are being violated by such abductions and forceful, involuntary naturalizations or adoptions. These practices should stop and children abducted returned without delay. Child protection principles must be safeguarded at all times. Forcibly transferred children have to be reunited with their families and loved ones. We therefore call on the Russian Federation to further facilitate immediate and unimpeded access for UNHCR to all Ukrainian refugees, in particular children.

The majority of refugees worldwide seek safety in a neighbouring country or within the region of their home country, often receiving enormous solidarity from host countries who are experiencing many challenges themselves. We continue this tradition and are proud of the response and outpouring of support of European countries and communities to help those fleeing and whose lives have been devastated by Russia’s war in Ukraine. EU countries have welcomed millions of people from Ukraine since the start of the war and activated, for the first time, the Temporary Protection Directive in March last year. So far, around 4 million people have been registered under this status in the EU Member States, the majority of them women and children, giving them access to housing, health care, education and the labour market. The total number of refugees from Ukraine on the European continent at the moment exceeds 8 million people, with another 7 million forcibly displaced inside Ukraine.

The EU and its Member States appreciate the brave and tireless efforts of UNHCR and other international, national and local actors, to support the Ukrainian government in providing protection, shelter and other forms of assistance to people in need inside the country. We encourage UNHCR to continue striving for improvements in protection, through laying out a comprehensive strategy, based on needs assessments, and to maximize agility and contingency planning efforts to respond to the realities and developments on the ground.

We commend the government of the Republic of Moldova for its remarkable solidarity with refugees since the start of Russia’s war. We welcome its decision to also activate temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees. The EU and its Member States will continue to support the Republic of Moldova, both bilaterally and through UNHCR, which has an important role in the coordination and implementation of the refugee response. We encourage investments in more sustainable long-term solutions, such as further transition from cash assistance towards inclusion in national social protection mechanisms. The EU and its Member States remain attentive and supportive to Ukrainian refugees also in other countries, including Georgia, which is hosting some 29,000 Ukrainian refugees who currently receive limited support.

The EU and its Member States are deeply concerned over the global impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine, particularly on already fragile countries and persons in vulnerable situations. The EU and its Member States have quickly mobilised and remain fully engaged to address and mitigate the global consequences of the war. We will continue to provide assistance, including food-related aid, to the countries and people affected. The EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes that we put in place have brought over 34 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain and agricultural products to world markets. Together with the UN Black Sea Grain Initiative and the Grain from Ukraine programme, Solidarity Lanes are essential for our shared objective of ensuring continued availability and affordability of food and fertilisers and they have contributed significantly to getting food and cereals prices down.

While the EU and its Member States this last year have been faced with an unprecedented burden and responsibility of hosting and supporting the needs of 15 million forcibly displaced, and millions more in dire needs, as a direct consequence of Russia’s war of aggression, we have retained our steadfast engagement and commitment to support responses to other crisis around the world. The EU and its Member States continue to be a leading donor to major refugee crisis, bringing together humanitarian and development efforts in line with the EU policy on forced displacement. Our support to Ukraine has not come at the expense of other crisis.

The EU and its Member States confirm their commitment to continue providing international protection to those in need and to the principle of non-refoulement. Last year, more than 900,000 people applied for international protection in the EU, almost a 50% increase compared to 2021 and well above pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels. We are concerned about the sharp increase of irregular arrivals to the EU external borders and about the high number of unscrupulous criminals, migrant smugglers and human traffickers that are abusing people on the move and putting their lives in danger. We are committed to saving lives and step-up international cooperation in search and rescue. At the same time, we call on partner countries to step-up efforts to prevent irregular departures, counter human trafficking and migrant smuggling and to cooperate in readmitting their nationals whose applications for international protection have been rejected and who have no right to stay in the EU.

The EU and its Member States also confirm their continued commitment to providing safe and legal pathways to protection in the EU, taking into account the national competences. Since 2015, EU-supported resettlement programmes have helped more than 110,000 refugees find shelter in the EU. In 2023, we pledged over 29,000 resettlement and humanitarian admission pledges.

Mr/Madam Chair,

In order to address and respond to the multiple and complex challenges of forced displacement, we must all do our part. The next Global Refugee Forum in December will be an important opportunity to reconfirm our commitments to greater burden- and responsibility sharing, to mobilize new pledges and commitments, and to broaden the range of stakeholders and partners. In this regard, we encourage UNHCR to continue its proactive and encouraging engagement with development actors and international financial institutions, stress the importance of inclusion and meaningful participation of refugees and refugee-led organisations, and call on new and non-traditional donors to step up and do more.

Let me conclude by expressing our deep appreciation for the work and dedication of UNHCR and its staff in these challenging circumstances. The EU and its Member States remain strong supporters of your work and mandate – politically as well as financially. You can continue to count on our solid and strategic partnership.

Thank you.