Collective NGO Statements: 76th UNHCR Executive Committee Meeting
Please find below the collective NGO statements and key messages delivered at the 76th Executive Committee meeting of the UNHCR.
With a special thanks to the following organisations for their role in leading the drafting process, and delivering the statements:
- RELON-Kenya
- The Norwegian Refugee Council
- INTERSOS
- International Refugee Assistance Project
- Refugees International
- RELON-Uganda
- Save the Children
And with thanks to the whole NGO community, in all your diversity, for engaging with this process.
76th Session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme
[6-10 October 2025]
- Key NGO Messages -
The 76th Executive Committee meeting took place amid record displacement, shrinking humanitarian space, strained asylum mechanisms, and unprecedented budget shortfalls undermining critical programmes. In this context, more complex and precarious than ever, responses to crises globally have been pushed to the brink - exposing the failure of political action to deliver peaceful, lasting outcomes.
This is a pivotal moment for meaningful structural change that maximises tangible impact and strengthens relief efforts. ICVA, our members, and partners urge UN Member states to:
Reaffirm international protection and legal obligations
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Uphold the Refugee Convention, its Protocol, along with international human rights and humanitarian law. Enforcement is weakening and consolidated support is required to maintain these as cornerstones to all aid operations.
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End arbitrary detention, exploitation, and abuse of vulnerable groups, notably women, children, LGBTIQ+, individuals with disabilities, or stateless.
Tackle the humanitarian funding and access crisis
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Adopt coherent prioritisation of limited resources so that those most at risk and in need are reached first.
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Reverse recent donor funding cuts threatening life-saving initiatives.
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Principled leadership remains essential in the face of growing access constraints and security threats.
Reinforce collective action towards a new multilateralism
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Move from commitments to coordinated, active steps that bridge humanitarian, development, and peace programmes, foster innovation, enhance transparency and data-backed accountability, and cut red tape to streamline processes.
Promote locally-driven, inclusive, and durable strategies
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Recognise refugee- and women-led organisations as genuine, equal partners to co-design and implement solutions, not just as beneficiaries of assistance.
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Sustain community systems to bolster resilience and self-reliance.
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Remove legal and administrative barriers limiting local actors’ and networks’ efficiency.
Address emerging and overlooked causes of displacement
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Honour protection duties for people uprooted by climate shocks and other emergencies, guaranteeing equitable access to fundamental services, while expanding safe pathways, investing in integration through education and work opportunities, or resettlement options for those unable to return home, and family reunification.
This year’s session was a firm call for unwavering, concerted resolve. We’re advocating for values-driven, collaborative, and transformative leadership, renewed multilateralism, scaled-up financial backing, and the restoration of protection’s centrality. Together we must build a fairer, more rights-based, and dignified framework that empowers refugee- and local-led entities, ensuring forcibly displaced and stateless persons participate in the decision-making processes that shape their futures.