The Arab League has stressed that the Palestinian refugee issue lies at the heart of the Palestinian cause, reiterating its categorical rejection of any form of displacement of the Palestinian people, whether from their land or within it.

In a statement issued by the League’s General Secretariat on World Refugee Day, it warned of the grave consequences of Israeli plans aimed at displacing Palestinians for regional and international security and stability.

The Secretariat emphasized that this year’s commemoration comes amid highly complex political and security conditions in the region and the world, which require strengthening refugee protection and ensuring their enjoyment of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, foremost among them the right to life, liberty, security, and a life of dignity.

The Arab League underlined the importance of implementing the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees to activate the principles of burden- and responsibility-sharing among states, improve protection and assistance for refugees, and support host countries and communities bearing increasing burdens due to hosting large numbers of them.

It noted that the escalation of regional conflicts and crises, even if not directly causing new refugee flows, significantly affects the situation of refugees and internally displaced persons already in Arab countries, as they remain among the most vulnerable groups. These developments are also expected to influence human mobility patterns to and from the region in the coming period.

The General Secretariat reaffirmed the indispensable and irreplaceable role of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), calling for the provision of the necessary financial, political, and legal support for it to carry out its mandate under UN General Assembly Resolution 302 of 1949 across its five fields of operation.

It stressed its rejection of any attempts or measures aimed at reducing the agency’s role, abolishing or replacing it, or altering the definition and legal status of Palestinian refugees, describing such actions as part of systematic plans targeting the liquidation of the Palestinian refugee issue.

The statement also highlighted the displacement crisis in Sudan, describing it as among the worst globally, with more than 4 million Sudanese having fled to neighboring countries, according to data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. It added that more than 800,000 refugees previously residing in Sudan have been forced to return to their countries despite ongoing conditions that initially displaced them, alongside nearly 7.6 million people displaced inside Sudan.

The Arab League underscored the need to support Sudan’s neighboring Arab countries hosting large numbers of Sudanese refugees, particularly Egypt, to enable them to bear the growing burdens and ensure the sustainability of services provided to refugees.

It called on the international community to continue providing sustainable support to specialized humanitarian organizations, primarily UNRWA and UNHCR, as well as national refugee committees in Arab countries, with particular attention to the Arab region, which has faced decades of accumulated challenges related to hosting large numbers of refugees and displaced persons.

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