World refugee day. Over 123 million people forced to flee their homes

According to the Global Trends 2025 report by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), released to mark World Refugee Day (June 20), a record 123.2 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced by the end of 2024. They were driven from their homes by persecution, armed conflict, violence, human rights violations, and other events that severely threaten public safety. This marks the highest number ever recorded, an increase of 7 million people (+6%) compared to the end of 2023. On average, one in every 67 people globally is now living in a situation of forced displacement.

Although April 2025 saw a slight decrease of 1% in the global number of displaced people — down to 122.1 million — this marks the first decline after more than a decade of uninterrupted growth. However, this reversal remains extremely fragile. Its stabilization will depend on several critical factors: the achievement of ceasefires or peace agreements in conflict zones such as Sudan, where 14.3 million people have been forced to flee, improved conditions for safe return in countries like Syria, which has 13.5 million displaced people and greater availability of resources to respond effectively to the global displacement crisis.

Since the early 1980s, COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale has been engaged in humanitarian assistance in emergency settings, providing protection, healthcare, nutrition, emergency education, water and sanitation, psychosocial support, and livelihood opportunities. In 2025, COOPI continues its work with refugees, displaced persons, and host communities in many countries affected by insecurity, protracted crises, and exposure to drought and floods, including Sudan, Niger, Jordan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Sudan: the world’s most severe displacement crisis

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Millions have been forced to flee their homes: according to UNHCR, over 14 million people were displaced by the end of 2024, approximately one in three, making Sudan the largest displacement crisis in the world. Nearly 4 million people have sought refuge in neighboring countries such as Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan. Civilians face daily bombardments, violence, hunger, and a lack of essential services. Refugee camps, such as Zamzam in North Darfur, were attacked again in April 2025, triggering new waves of mass displacement.

A significant example of COOPI’s work is the emergency project launched in El Fasher, a city already under siege in North Darfur, funded by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The project aims to provide life-saving assistance to thousands of displaced people living in makeshift shelters, including the daily delivery of 70,000 liters of clean drinking water and the construction of 50 emergency latrines.

COOPI has maintained an uninterrupted presence in Sudan since 2004, carrying out a total of 129 projects and reaching over 4 million beneficiaries. Initially based in North Darfur, COOPI expanded its operations in 2019 to include the states of Kassala, Gedaref, and the capital, Khartoum. Through an integrated, multisectoral approach, COOPI has steadily broadened its humanitarian response, focusing on critical areas such as emergency shelter and non-food items, food security, access to water and sanitation, disaster risk reduction, and the strengthening of livelihoods.

Niger: free and timely healthcare for displaced populations

Located at the crossroads of multiple regional crises, Niger is one of the main host countries in West Africa, sheltering refugees and displaced people from unstable contexts such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, and Chad. The regions of Tillaberi, Tahoua, Diffa, and Maradi are particularly affected by insecurity, violence, and cross-border raids, which exacerbate forced displacement. Despite the instability following the July 2023 coup, COOPI continues to operate to provide humanitarian assistance, adopting a community-based approach focused especially on women, children, and people with specific needs.

Within this context, the Emergency Rapid Response project, funded by the European Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) since 2022, is active in the Tahoua and Tillaberi regions. The project ensures free and timely medical care through a rapid response mechanism, in collaboration with health authorities and local partners. Activities include epidemiological monitoring, rapid assessments, psychosocial support, and strengthening of health services, with a flexible component to respond to new humanitarian shocks in areas not directly covered by the intervention.

Jordan: well-being of vulnerable children in hosting communities

Jordan hosts one of the highest proportions of refugees in the world relative to its population, with over 740,000 refugees registered with UNHCR, approximately one in eighteen people. Despite this, the country lacks a national asylum law and maintains strict control over access to its territory. Since 2017, COOPI has been active in Jordan’s governorates of Amman, Irbid, Zarqa, and Karak, working in the fields of protection, emergency education, and business development through more than 10 projects that have reached 6,000 people. In particular, the protection activities aim to provide support both to the Jordanian community and to Syrian refugees, who often live in extreme vulnerability and bear severe trauma related to the war, with a specific focus on female heads of household, minors, and people with disabilities.

Within this context is the DAMEJ: An Inclusive Social Protection Approach for Vulnerable Children, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). Operating in the governorates of Amman, Madaba, Mafraq, and Zarqa, the project aims to promote the well-being and social inclusion of the most vulnerable groups among refugees and host communities in Jordan, with a particular focus on children. The goal is to build a stronger and more inclusive social protection system. To achieve this, the project actively involves government institutions, non-governmental organizations, and civil society to develop a more integrated and coordinated response. It also includes training activities designed to provide theoretical knowledge and practical tools on child protection to practitioners supporting at-risk children.

CAR: child protection as a priority in displacement camps

The Central African Republic is facing a complex humanitarian situation marked by internal fragility and widespread insecurity across several regions of the country. Over 1.4 million people have been forced to flee, including both internally displaced persons and refugees, while the country continues to receive new arrivals from Sudan and Chad, escaping violence and conflict. This ongoing influx places increasing pressure on already limited resources and socio-economic systems, further heightening the vulnerability of the affected populations.

One of the most recent projects launched by COOPI is the Integrated emergency response in CCCM, ABRIS, NFI and Child Protection in Haut-Mbomou for populations affected by security crises, currently underway in the Haut-Mbomou prefecture and funded by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) until 2026. The project aims to provide comprehensive emergency protection to displaced people on-site, host families, and children most affected by the humanitarian crisis in the areas of Obo and Bambouti. Through both mobile and fixed site management activities, displacement monitoring, and rapid needs assessments, COOPI seeks to ensure timely and multidimensional responses, including community-level child protection. In doing so, the project helps preserve dignity and improve living conditions for those affected by the crisis, ensuring safe and adequate access to essential services.

COOPI has been present in the Central African Republic since 1974; it has implemented 250 projects that have supported 9 million people.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: displaced students are not left alone

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, millions of internally displaced people returned to their homes in 2024. However, the ongoing conflict in the eastern part of the country — which worsened further in 2025 — forced millions more to flee once again during the same period. This pattern of returns followed by new displacements highlights how fragile and unsustainable returns often are without real progress toward stability and security.

The crisis in Goma persists at all levels of society. For this reason, COOPI has been implementing the Emergency multisectoral assistance in Nutrition and Education for communities affected by the M23 crisis in North Kivu Province, funded by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) since August 2024. The project aims to improve the living conditions of internally displaced persons and host communities by promoting access to education and school continuity for children, supporting public health centers dedicated to maternal and child health, and combating malnutrition.

Since 1977, COOPI has been working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it has carried out 370 projects benefiting nearly 16 million people.

The responsibility to protect those forced to flee

UNHCR data and COOPI’s projects on the ground clearly reveal the dramatic scale and complexity of forced displacement worldwide. On the occasion of World Refugee Day, it is essential to remember that every number represents a life interrupted, a family separated, and a future put on hold.

As emphasized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi:

In a world of increasing conflicts, it remains essential that States uphold their responsibility to protect those forced to flee, while also fostering an environment where they can thrive and play an active role until conditions allow them to return home safely and with dignity.”

A collective commitment, both locally and internationally, is now more crucial than ever to address the root causes of humanitarian crises and to build lasting paths toward peace, protection, and dignity.