As the violence in Gaza and the West Bank continues with little or no meaningful challenge, the enormity of human suffering is hard to comprehend. Wars and conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, Syria, Somalia and Columbia continue, and as long as they do, there will be displaced people looking for somewhere safe to start again. And so it must follow that the UK robustly calls for peaceful solutions and actively takes in some of those fleeing war and persecution. 

Our Trustee Hakar has a message for governments around the world:

'European countries and the UK are making laws to stop refugees and asylum seekers from coming to their countries, whilst conflicts, wars and subsequent starvation are ongoing in many countries including Gaza. And yet, few of these powerful countries are trying to stop these conflicts or even to find ways to de-escalate them.

To international governments: if you are not willing to welcome refugees into your country, then at least help to stop these conflicts to prevent the outcome of displaced people.

In my country, the war started in 2011, and no one from Syria imagined that it would still be ongoing 13 years later, or that we would be refugees all around the world. If the international community had cared and together found a way to stop the Syrian conflict, I promise you would never see millions of Syrian people like myself seeking asylum. All we want is to stay in our homes and get our lives back. But instead, on the contrary, many countries participated in escalating the conflict in Syria, and so it continues. And now we are witnessing the needless, devastating loss of life in Gaza including so many children, as well as in Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, and Myanmar to name a few.

l am asking governments, organisations and individuals - why not do it differently so you can save displaced children and vulnerable people? Please take part in stopping ongoing conflicts and starvation on our planet, and look for alternative peaceful solutions. Only then will there be no 'refugee crisis'.'

It was reassuring that on his first day in office, Keir Starmer and the new Labour Government abolished the inhumane Rwanda scheme on his first day in office. This sends a powerful message that politically motivated cruelty is unacceptable. However, it is just the first step and much more remains to be done to protect refugees and people seeking asylum.

What do the Government need to do next? See Refugee Council's Priorities for more information or read this summary below:

  • Pilot a refugee visa scheme: Issue 10,000 visas to individuals from high-grant rate countries, permitting them to travel to the UK legally and safely to seek asylum.
  • Family reunion: Revise immigration rules to enable refugee children to sponsor their family members to join them in the UK, and allow children in Europe to reunite with extended family in the UK, while eliminating financial barriers that hinder this.
  • Resettlement: Expand refugee resettlement through the global UKRS route, by collaborating closely with UNHCR and local authorities to facilitate planned arrivals.
  • Humanise Asylum: End the use of dehumanising language that has infiltrated the political and social discourse surrounding refugees and the human right to seek asylum.
  • Lift The Ban: The right to work is a fundamental human right and a key aspect of any plan for creating wealth. Why should we continue to allow people to remain in enforced poverty?