“This has been a dark decade. Every year, the world watches the number of displaced people increase, and then does too little to protect and assist the displaced. There is a reason for the dramatic increase in refugees and internally displaced: we fail to prevent war and violence, and national and international leaderships fail in conflict resolution where we have protracted emergencies.
“The current number of people displaced has probably already surpassed 110 million, due to the rapid and explosive nature of conflicts in countries like Burkina Faso and Sudan. Meanwhile, older conflicts are simmering under the surface, threatening to trigger new waves of displacement and suffering if decisive political action is not taken.
“Six out of ten of all displaced people remain in their country of origin with few or no places to hide and no safe pathways to seek protection. One of the most extreme examples is Ethiopia, where more than two million people are internally displaced in what was the deadliest conflict in 2022.
“This inability to protect civilians so they can stay safely in their homes cannot continue. We need peace diplomacy to be reactivated, we need donor countries to step up their financial support to end human suffering, and we need those families on the frontlines to have their stories told on the front pages.”
