Driven by violent conflict and insecurity, the world is facing a new displacement crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated displacement trends, pushing healthcare infrastructure to the brink and creating dire economic conditions as countries struggle to contain the virus. Meanwhile, climate change uprooted more than 30 million people—the highest figure in a decade. On July 28, USIP hosted U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield to reflect on the 70th anniversary of the Refugee Convention and its critical importance in the current global context. The discussion took stock of the global community’s efforts to protect the rights of refugees and asylum seekers under international refugee and humanitarian law and considered how the United States and its network of allies and partners can better protect those rights in a moment of profound global crisis and uncertainty.

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield

Lise Grande

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/convention-refugees-70-conversation-ambassador-linda-thomas-greenfield