High Commissioner's remarks at the Senate of the Republic of Mexico commemorating 75 years of the Refugee Convention

Mr President of the Senate, Senator Higinio Martínez Miranda,
Honorable Senators,
Secretaria Rosa Isela Rodriguez, Representatives of the Government of Mexico,
Excellencies, colleagues and friends,

Thank you, Mr President, for your generous welcome and thoughtful remarks.

It is a great honour to conclude my official visit to Mexico here, in the Senate of the Republic, alongside representatives of its legislative and executive branches.

Over the past days, I have seen first-hand what the longstanding partnership between Mexico and UNHCR has made possible. I have met people and institutions working to ensure that those who need protection can find it, and that those who find safety have a real opportunity to build a future here.

I have also heard a strong commitment to the work that lies ahead: strengthening Mexico’s asylum system and building a more comprehensive national approach to integration.

That commitment gives particular meaning to our gathering today.

Anniversaries invite us to look back. But this one also asks us to look closely at the world before us.

Seventy-five years ago, in the aftermath of the Second World War, nations came together around a simple but profound principle: that people forced to flee persecution, conflict and violence should not be left without protection.

The 1951 Refugee Convention gave that principle the force of law. It set out rights for refugees and responsibilities for States. At its heart is a promise that a person seeking safety will not be sent back to a place where their life or freedom is threatened.

For 75 years, the Convention has helped save lives and allowed millions of people to rebuild their futures. Its principles have endured through profound changes in the world.

But we cannot honour it simply by recalling what it has achieved.

Today, more than 117 million people have been forced to flee their homes. Conflicts are multiplying and many are becoming more protracted. At the same time, access to asylum is becoming more difficult in many parts of the world.

This anniversary therefore calls for more than a celebration of the Convention. It calls for a renewal of our determination to make its promise real.

Mexico has an important contribution to make.

Mexico has built a strong legal framework for refugee protection. And at a time when asylum systems in many countries are under pressure, it continues to demonstrate that protection can be upheld in practice.
That takes sustained work. It requires institutions capable of receiving people, assessing their claims fairly and responding as circumstances change. It requires both compassion and rigour.

These qualities reinforce one another. A credible asylum system must identify who needs international protection and provide it.  But it must also identify who does not. Sound procedures strengthen public confidence. And efficiency matters when it helps people receive a fair answer without unnecessary delay.

Mexico’s experience shows that a country can strengthen its asylum system without weakening the protection it provides.

We should also be careful about how we read changes in the number of people arriving.

Overall arrivals of migrants and asylum-seekers in Mexico have declined.

An increasing proportion of those arriving report fleeing violence, persecution and other serious threats.

The needs may therefore remain substantial even when the numbers change. Mexico is helping to ensure  capacity to receive people, hear their claims and protect those who cannot safely return home.

But the work does not end when a person is recognized as a refugee.

Safety is the beginning of a new chapter. Rebuilding a life means being able to work, learn, support a family and belong.

This is why I have been so encouraged by the Government of Mexico’s commitment to integration.

Yesterday, I met with Secretary of the Interior Rosa Icela Rodríguez. We discussed México Integra and the Government’s ambition to advance a comprehensive, State-led integration ecosystem.

It is an important vision. It is truly consequential. Integration cannot depend on the efforts of refugees alone, or on the goodwill of a few employers and communities. It works best when government, local authorities, businesses, academia and civil society work together.

I saw this for myself in Aguascalientes.

There, I met Melida, who put it simply: “Look at the person, not the refugee, and you’ll find someone who won’t say no to hard work.”

Her words stayed with me.

In Aguascalientes, refugees are bringing their skills and determination, while employers are opening doors to opportunity. At Aumovio and Exedy, I met business leaders who understand that refugee inclusion creates value for companies, communities and families alike.

This is not only good for refugees. It is good for business, and it is good for Mexico.

As one employer told me: “Doing good is always good.”

That is what meaningful integration looks like. People who were forced to flee can support their families and rebuild their futures. Employers gain committed colleagues. Communities gain new neighbours and contributors.
Protection gives people safety. Inclusion gives them the chance to move forward.

Mexico is already demonstrating what is possible.

Through the Local Integration Program, refugees have been able to move to places where there are opportunities to work and rebuild their lives. Employers have gained committed colleagues. Communities have welcomed new neighbours. Families who once faced uncertainty have been able to plan for their future.

These are practical results. They show what becomes possible when protection is connected to opportunity.

UNHCR and the Government of Mexico have agreed to advance a joint strategy for developing a national integration ecosystem called Mexico Integra. We will build on the experience of the Local Integration Program and support Mexican institutions, local authorities, civil society organizations and private-sector partners as they take this work forward.

Mexico will lead this effort, with UNHCR providing technical support and expertise.

Honorable Senators,

You have a vital role in this work.

The principles of the Refugee Convention become real through national laws, public institutions and the resources needed to put them into practice.

The decisions made in this chamber affect whether a person can access a fair asylum procedure; whether a child can continue an education; whether an adult can work and support their family; and whether communities have the support they need to welcome new residents.

You can help ensure that the institutions responsible for protection have the tools they need, and that integration is sustained as a matter of national policy.

Mexico’s efforts also speak to a broader challenge facing UNHCR and the world.

Millions of refugees have spent years, sometimes decades, dependent on humanitarian assistance. That assistance saves lives, especially in an emergency. But people want more than to survive. They want to work, provide for their families, use their abilities and shape their own futures.

That is the thinking behind UNHCR’s 50 by 35 vision. By 2035, we aim to reduce by half the number of refugees in long-term displacement who depend on humanitarian assistance.

We can make progress by expanding opportunities for inclusion and self-reliance, so people can rebuild their lives and reduce their dependence on aid while awaiting a lasting solution.

And we must relentlessly pursue those solutions: voluntary return where conditions permit, third-country pathways, and opportunities for local integration or alternative legal status.

Mexico’s experience speaks directly to this vision. It shows that protecting refugees and creating opportunity are not competing objectives. They reinforce one another.

It shows that refugees, given protection and opportunity, can become colleagues, neighbours, entrepreneurs, taxpayers and contributors to the communities that welcomed them.

No country should have to carry this responsibility alone. International solidarity must mean practical support for countries that offer protection and invest in the future of the people they receive.

That is why I am deeply grateful for Mexico’s decision to serve as a co-convener of the 2027 Global Refugee Forum.

I also welcome Mexico’s Vice Presidency of the Chile Action Plan, born of the Cartagena+40 process. The region has a long tradition of responding to displacement through cooperation and innovation. Mexico has valuable experience to share as that work continues.

These commitments will help bring Mexico’s leadership to a wider international audience. They also create opportunities to turn shared principles into stronger support, better policies and tangible results for refugees and the communities hosting them.

Mr President, Honorable Senators,

Seventy-five years after the Refugee Convention was adopted, we face challenges its drafters could not have foreseen. Yet the principle that brought them together remains as clear and necessary today as it was then.

A person forced to flee must be able to seek safety. A country providing that safety deserves the support of others. And finding protection must open a path towards rebuilding a life.

During this visit, I have seen Mexico giving practical meaning to those commitments.

I thank the Government, this Senate, public servants, local authorities, civil society organizations, businesses and communities involved in that work.

And above all, I thank the people of Mexico for the welcome they have extended to those seeking safety.

UNHCR will continue to accompany Mexico as it strengthens its asylum system and builds new opportunities for refugees to contribute and belong.

The Convention has given us a foundation that has endured for 75 years. Our responsibility now is to keep its promise alive: to protect those forced to flee, and to give them the opportunity not simply to survive, but to rebuild their lives and contribute to the societies that welcome them.

Thank you.