The Promise
The Promise
A promise we must renew today.
Until everyone is safe.
Sudanese refugee Hawa Ahmat Adam, 18, at her secondary school in the Farchana refugee camp in eastern Chad.
From the ashes of the Second World War came a solemn promise: a promise to protect people forced to flee war, violence, and persecution. Today, with forced displacement at record levels, we must renew that promise.
This is one of the defining challenges of our time. But it is also a test of our shared humanity. We can and must respond.
Leaders from all walks of life are coming together to renew support for refugees. They’re lending their voices and their names to The Promise – a global statement of solidarity with refugees. They stand by the promise of the Refugee Convention together. They choose action, compassion and solidarity. Until everyone is safe.
Who has signed The Promise
- Alfonso Herrera
- Ameen Jubran
- Anderson Antonio Pedroso
- Angelina Jolie
- Antonio Rüdiger
- Atom Araullo
- Azizbek Ashurov
- Barbara Hendricks
- Barham Salih
- Bekir Altas
- Ben Stiller
- Cate Blanchett
- Cynthia Erivo
- Dauda Sesay
- David Morrissey
- Denis Mukwege
- Efi Latsoudi
- Elena Anaya
- Elisabeth Carpenter
- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
- Ernesto Zedillo
- Evan Atar Adaha
- Felix Sesay
- Francis Kuria
- Graça Machel
- Grace Dorong
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw
- Hafsar Tameesuddin
- Hamdi Ulukaya
- Haris Doukas
- Helen Clark
- Helena Christensen
- Hellenic Rescue Team
- Hina Jilani
- Jeny Bonsenge
- Jerry Pillay
- Jesús Vázquez
- Jin Dawod
- JJ Bola
- John Denton
- Joseph Tlhagale
- Juan Manuel Santos
- Kat Graham
- Ke Huy Quan
- Khaled Hosseini
- Khalida Popal
- Kosho Niwano
- Kristin Davis
- Kristy Coventry
- Leanne Manas
- Mahira Khan
- Malala Yousafzai
- Marina Satti
- Mark Edington
- Mary Maker
- Mary Robinson
- Mayerlín Vergara Pérez
- MIYAVI
- Mo Ibrahim
- Mohadese Mirzaee
- Monicah Malith
- Muzna Dureid
- Nadia Murad
- Nomzamo Mbatha
- Noor Azizah
- Nyakuma Gatkuoth
- Omar Farooq
- Payzee Mahmod
- Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
- Raya Abi Rached
- Riz Ahmed
- Roald Hoffmann
- Sarah Mullally
- Sayed Razawi
- Sister Rosita
- Taban Shoresh
- Tadashi Yanai
- Theo James
- Wenyen Gabriel
- Yang Yang
- Yann Martel
- Yasmina ElAbd
- Yiech Pur Biel
- Yusra Mardini
- Zakia Khudadadi
- Zannah Mustapha
We affirm our commitment to a world where:
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Safety is a certainty:
Everyone has the right to seek safety from war, violence, and persecution.
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Refugees are included:
Refugees belong in our communities, schools, and workplaces, where they can find opportunities and contribute to the societies that host them.
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Solutions are swift:
Whether it’s integration, a fresh start in a new country, or a safe return home, we seek to resolve displacement right from the start.
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We act together:
From governments to local communities, global institutions to town halls, boardrooms to faith groups, businesses to civil society, we all play our part in making a difference.
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Video: What the world promised 75 years ago
World War II. Hungary. Algeria. Vietnam. Rwanda. Darfur. Syria Ukraine. Sudan. Rohingya.
From World Wars to civil wars. From crises to conflicts. For 75 years.
When people are forced to flee, we must uphold The Promise of the Refugee Convention.
You can stand by the promise of the Refugee Convention too.
Take these three steps:
3. Support
Help bring refugee designs to the world. Buy this MADE 51 bracelet and support refugee artisans.
Around the world, young refugees are shaping their futures and giving back to their communities.
UNHCR’s work with partners opens doors to opportunities that help young people forced to flee rebuild their lives. From digital learning in Za’atari camp, Jordan, to sport in Kalobeyei settlement in Kenya, to dance in Bratislava, Slovakia, and engineering in San Salvador, El Salvador, these stories reflect UNHCR’s global campaign “Until Everyone is Safe.”
Maya Ghazal
"No one chooses to leave everything they love behind. It is a heart-wrenching reality that can happen to anyone, at any moment. As someone who has walked this path, I know it is purely by circumstance that it is not you or I fleeing today. The right to seek safety is a sacred promise of shared humanity, and until everyone is safe, we must keep standing together," said Maya Ghazal, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.
Opira Bosco Okot
“I know my intervention will count.”
Opira Bosco Okot is a South Sudanese refugee in Kampala who, after fleeing conflict and experiencing the impacts of climate change in Uganda and South Sudan, founded The Leads, an initiative supporting youth education and climate adaptation through tree planting, improved cooking technologies, and community environmental awareness.
Najeeba Wazefadost
"Leaving your country is one of the most important decisions a human being can be forced to make.”
Najeeba Wazefadost is an Afghan refugee who fled to Australia at age 10 and rebuilt her life through education after arriving with no English. She is the founder of Hazara Women of Australia, supporting newly arrived refugee women to learn English, access services, and integrate into their communities.
Grace Dorong
“No matter how hard we try to build the lives we want for ourselves, the fight gets harder with each passing day because of climate change.”
Grace Dorong is a South Sudanese former refugee and climate activist who founded Root of Generations to support communities affected by displacement and climate shocks. She advocates for greater climate finance and action for refugees and host communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
In times like these, we build on the promise of safety. We build a world where being a refugee is only a chapter in a person’s life, not their whole life story.
Until everyone is safe, we keep showing up.