World Refugee Day 2026: The Right to Protection Must Not Become Collateral Damage of Global Crises/Svetski dan izbeglica 2026: Pravo na zaštitu ne sme postati kolateralna šteta globalnih kriza

On the occasion of World Refugee Day, marked on 20 June, we recall that millions of people around the world continue to flee wars, persecution, political violence, climate disasters, and other forms of insecurity in search of protection and a life of dignity.

Today, the world is facing the highest number of forcibly displaced people in modern history. The wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, protracted crises in Afghanistan and Syria, as well as numerous other conflicts, continue to force people to leave their homes. As the need for protection grows, states around the world are increasingly responding with policies of deterrence, border closures, and restrictions on access to asylum.

At a time when protection is needed more than ever, the space for protection is shrinking.

This trend is particularly visible in Europe. The new Pact on Migration and Asylum, whose full implementation begins this year, introduces significant changes to the way the European Union manages migration. Although presented as a reform intended to ensure a more efficient system, many of its provisions point to stronger border control, accelerated procedures, and an increased number of returns, while at the same time reducing procedural safeguards for people seeking protection.

Of particular concern is the growing practice of shifting responsibility for protection beyond the borders of the European Union. Instead of improving access to asylum, an increasing share of migration management is being transferred to countries that often have weaker capacities to protect human rights and limited access to international protection.

Serbia stands precisely at the intersection of these processes. As a country on the Balkan Route and a candidate for membership in the European Union, Serbia is increasingly feeling the consequences of European migration policies. Over the past year, we have witnessed the continuation of restrictive practices, the growing invisibility of migration, and the further narrowing of the space for people on the move to exercise their rights.

Behind political debates, statistics, and security narratives are people — individuals who have lost their homes, families, and sense of safety. The right to seek asylum is not a privilege, but one of the fundamental human rights guaranteed under international law.

On World Refugee Day, we call on the institutions of Serbia, the European Union, and the international community to place the protection of people above policies of deterrence, to ensure fair access to asylum procedures, and to uphold the principles of international law that were created precisely in response to experiences of persecution and forced displacement.

Solidarity with refugees must not remain a symbolic message repeated once a year. It must be reflected in laws, policies, and everyday practice.

A society is not measured by how successfully it protects its borders, but by how successfully it protects the people who need protection the most.

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progona, političkog nasilja, klimatskih katastrofa i drugih oblika nesigurnosti u potrazi za zaštitom i dostojanstvenim životom.

Današnji svet suočava se sa najvećim brojem prisilno raseljenih osoba u modernoj istoriji. Ratovi u Ukrajini, Gazi i Sudanu, dugotrajne krize u Avganistanu i Siriji, kao i brojni drugi sukobi, nastavljaju da primoravaju ljude da napuštaju svoje domove. Dok potrebe za zaštitom rastu, države širom sveta sve češće odgovaraju politikama odvraćanja, zatvaranja granica i ograničavanja pristupa azilu.

U trenutku kada je zaštita potrebnija nego ikada, prostor za zaštitu postaje sve manji.

Ovaj trend posebno je vidljiv u Evropi. Novi Pakt o migracijama i azilu, čija puna primena počinje ove godine, donosi značajne promene u načinu na koji Evropska unija upravlja migracijama. Iako se predstavlja kao reforma koja treba da obezbedi efikasniji sistem, mnoge njegove odredbe ukazuju na jačanje kontrole granica, ubrzavanje procedura i povećanje broja povrataka, uz istovremeno smanjenje proceduralnih garancija za ljude koji traže zaštitu. 

Posebno zabrinjava sve izraženija praksa prebacivanja odgovornosti za zaštitu van granica Evropske unije. Umesto da se unapredi pristup azilu, sve veći deo migracionog upravljanja premešta se u zemlje koje često imaju slabije kapacitete za zaštitu ljudskih prava i ograničen pristup međunarodnoj zaštiti. 

Srbija se nalazi upravo na preseku ovih procesa. Kao zemlja na Balkanskoj ruti i kandidat za članstvo u Evropskoj uniji, Srbija sve intenzivnije oseća posledice evropskih migracionih politika. Tokom prethodne godine svedočili smo nastavku restriktivnih praksi, rastućoj nevidljivosti migracija i daljem sužavanju prostora za ostvarivanje prava ljudi u pokretu. 

Iza političkih debata, statistika i bezbednosnih narativa nalaze se ljudi – osobe koje su izgubile domove, porodice i osećaj sigurnosti. Pravo da zatraže azil nije privilegija, već jedno od temeljnih ljudskih prava garantovanih međunarodnim pravom.

Na Svetski dan izbeglica pozivamo institucije Srbije, Evropske unije i međunarodnu zajednicu da zaštitu ljudi stave ispred politike odvraćanja, da obezbede pravičan pristup azilnim procedurama i da poštuju principe međunarodnog prava koji su nastali upravo kao odgovor na iskustva progona i prisilnog raseljavanja.

Solidarnost sa izbeglicama ne sme ostati simbolična poruka koja se ponavlja jednom godišnje. Ona mora biti vidljiva u zakonima, politikama i svakodnevnoj praksi.

Društvo se ne meri po tome koliko uspešno štiti svoje granice, već po tome koliko uspešno štiti ljude kojima je zaštita najpotrebnija.