2025 World Refugee Day: Solidarity With Refugees

21 Jún 2025

Each year on 20 June, the world commemorates World Refugee Day, the international day to honour people who have been forced to flee. This significant event seeks to spread awareness about the challenges faced by refugees and the need for effective long-term solutions in including them into their host communities.

The theme of World Refugee Day 2025 is solidarity with refugees. It reminds us that at a time of unprecedented displacement and growing humanitarian needs, unity, compassion and concrete action are more important than ever.

There are nearly 123 million people forcibly displaced globally, including over 43 million refugees. This year, World Refugee Day arrives amid deepening humanitarian challenges. Critical funding shortages, rising anti-refugee sentiment, and increasingly restrictive asylum policies are placing millions at greater risk.

Despite these challenges, refugees continue to show remarkable resilience, courage, and determination to rebuild their lives. Given the opportunity, they become integral members of their host societies, contributing economically, culturally, and socially.

„In Slovakia and around the world, we are witnessing both the fragility of peace and the strength of human spirit. Refugees are not looking for charity, they are looking for dignity, safety, and a chance to contribute. On this World Refugee Day, we call on everyone to stand in solidarity with those who found hope in Slovakia,“ says Danijela Popović-Efendić, the Head of the UNHCR Office in Slovakia.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the Slovak Humanitarian Council and the Milan Šimečka Foundation are co-organising a public event to mark World Refugee Day in Bratislava on 21 June 2025. It will start at 14:00 at Primate Square, where the public will gather for the Umbrella Parade and will continue at Tyršovo Square. Here, visitors can look forward to a rich multi-genre programme with activities for all ages.

„The umbrella is a symbol of solidarity because it protects, just as society should protect those forced to flee their homes due to war, disaster, or danger. On World Refugee Day, we will symbolically open umbrellas together to send a message: those who have fled are welcome and have a place in Slovakia. Join us and hold an umbrella as a gesture of belonging," adds Veronika Fishbone Vlčková, Director of the Milan Šimečka Foundation.

According to Peter Devínsky, President of the Slovak Humanitarian Council, Slovakia is a safe and democratic country where refugees seek safety and a new home. “Every day, we assist our clients, and it’s crucial for us to highlight the journey refugees undergo, from the difficult decision to flee their country to finding a second home. That’s why we mark World Refugee Day annually, as a gesture of solidarity with refugees worldwide."