Despite an estimated 1.44 million refugees in urgent need of resettlement globally, less than 23,000 were resettled through UNHCR last year. These are the lowest refugee resettlement numbers UNHCR has witnessed in almost two decades. The drop stems from low quotas put forward by states, as well as the impact of COVID-19, which delayed departures and programmes.

Despite pandemic restrictions, people fleeing violence and persecution continue to seek asylum in Mexico.

During UNHCR’s annual Executive Committee, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, highlighted that maintaining levels of humanitarian aid is a comparatively inexpensive way to save lives and protect refugees and their host communities facing a “pandemic of poverty” resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the opening of a virtual session of UNHCR’s annual High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection challenges, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Gillian Triggs, underlined the importance of inclusion for the protection of refugees and their hosts in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Echoing the UN-wide call for action on 13 May, UNHCR continues to appeal for urgent support to ensure the availability and continuation of mental health and psychosocial services for refugees and those displaced. These services must be considered “essential” services and form part of national responses to COVID-19. [Source: UNHCR Global COVID-19 Situation Report]

Following the declaration of a global pandemic by WHO on 11 March 2020, UNHCR declared a Global Level 2 Emergency for the COVID-19 situation on 25 March 2020, activating emergency procurement procedures, simplified partner selection processes and giving country teams maximum flexibility in providing assistance.

In 2020, 39.4 million persons of concern received COVID-19 assistance including access to protection services, shelter, health, and education. This includes over 8.5 million individuals who received cash assistance.

In 2021, UNHCR will work to maintain the same levels of responsiveness, adaptability and flexibility in response to COVID-19, whilst strengthening resilience as staff and people of concern adjust to living and working with COVID-19 in the medium term. UNHCR published a supplementary appeal to respond to these needs.

In Latin America which accounts for nearly half of the deaths and cases worldwide, the combination of the hurricane season in the north of Central America and COVID-19 is exacerbating humanitarian needs. To combat these emergencies, UNHCR in El Salvador, together with the joint response team provided aid to 1,150 communities and information to 1.2 million people, while in Guatemala, UNHCR delivered bulk beds and mattresses to shelters.

In a high-level event, UNHCR sought sustained support for Afghan refugees and refugee-hosting countries as support becomes even more urgent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and a deepening regional socio-economic crisis.