Members of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), observers, UN partners, and representatives from civil society came together on Thursday to discuss and explore sustainable approaches to providing assistance and protection to refugees and host communities, while pursuing durable solutions to the crisis of forced displacement.

Speaking at the meeting, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, highlighted four areas. He noted that over the past decade, the number of refugees and displaced people has doubled, from about 60 million to more than120 million plus, primarily due to conflicts. Grandi said, “Wars conducted increasingly in total impunity in respect of international humanitarian law means that civilians, it’s obvious, civilians are targeted or impacted at least. And so they flee. They have no other choice but to flee.”