Swiss-US opera singer helps launch refugee ‘pledge’

An appeal by Swiss national Barbara Hendricks and 74 prominent figures Keystone-SDA

The Swiss-American opera singer Barbara Hendricks and 74 international figures have launched a coalition to mark the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention. Speaking in Geneva on Tuesday, they affirmed the right of persecuted people to seek safety in another country.

These prominent figures have championed “the pledge”, an initiative championed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Saleh, himself a former refugee. In their appeal, they call for refugees to be included in society’s activities.

It is also essential that these people are able to find solutions quickly, whether that means settling in a new country or returning safely to their country of origin. All stakeholders must work together – from the authorities and local communities to the private sector, international organisations and civil society – the figures added.

Alongside Hendricks and Saleh, the coalition includes several Nobel Peace Prize laureates such as Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwege, actors Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie, sportspeople and scientists. This coalition must grow stronger in the run-up to the next Global Refugee Forum in 2027, it said.

“The Refugee Convention has saved millions of people over the decades; it addresses the fundamentals of our shared humanity,” Saleh said. He believes we must honour the promise to protect, “for future generations”, those who are forced to flee.

More than 41 million refugees remain forcibly displaced worldwide. The Convention provides states with a framework to address these challenges while ensuring safety, and it defines who is to be considered a refugee. However, the asylum system lacks resources, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has also lamented.

+ How we produce English news
Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.