LocationsStanding Up for Refugee Rights: Justice as a Lifeline
December 18, 2025
Georgia's mobile legal aid clinic that offers free legal consultations
Securing Rights Amid Crisis
When war erupts, persecution escalates, or disaster strike, displacement happens in an instant. Families flee under fire, homes crumble, and lives are thrown into chaos.
The latest UNHCR report indicates that 117.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes globally due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, among them nearly 42.5 million refugees.
For people forced to abandon everything, access to justice becomes a lifeline -the difference between protection and exploitation, dignity and despair. Without legal assistance, displaced people risk statelessness, deportation, and violence, including higher risk of sexual and gender-based violence. With it, they can reclaim identity, secure housing, and protect themselves from discrimination and abuse.
71% of the world’s refugees and other people in need of international protection are hosted in low- and middle-income countries, that disproportionately share the burden of responding to these crises. If asylum systems are not in place, if justice systems and communities are unprepared to respond, rights cannot be protected.
Large displacements of population can also put a strain on host communities, create tensions and fuel new conflicts. Dialogue and dispute resolution mechanisms are critical to define solutions and ensure peaceful coexistence.
UNDP’s Commitment to Justice
At the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, UNDP pledged to advance access to justice for refugees, displaced persons, and host communities under the Legal Community Pledge. Working with UNHCR and humanitarian actors, UNDP has since supported national justice systems, legal professionals and communities develop their capacities to provide access to legal information and justice to one million people in 20 countries —critical steps to restore rights amid instability and toward rebuilding lives.
Crisis Hotspots: From Bangladesh to Syria
In Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where Rohingya refugees have strained local systems, legal aid corners were set up and community mediators, including women,were trained to resolve disputes and ease tensions. In Syria, professionals were trained on housing and property rights, legal services were provided to thousands displaced by conflict and by the 2023 earthquake, an Online Legal Aid Platform served over 12,000 individuals, and Collaborative Dispute Resolution (CDR) committees resolve disputes such as property ownership.
Europe’s Displacement Crisis: Innovation and Regional Action
The war in Ukraine triggered Europe’s largest displacement crises in decades, affecting millions across borders, while Armenia and Georgia continue toface long-standing displacement due to regional conflicts. In 2025, Ukraine’s Free Legal Aid System assisted over 391,000 war-affected people, including internally displaced persons. Moldova enabled 3,600 refugees to access justice, and mobile teams supported 1,000 survivors of gender-based violence. Digital tools like a multilingual chatbot and a Social Tensions Monitoring Mechanism help refugees understand rights and prevent conflict. In Georgia, mobile legal clinics and Ukrainian Houses provide legal aid and referrals. In Armenia, a perception survey, digital solutions, and promotion of alternative dispute resolution are ongoing to improve justice for displaced and vulnerable populations.
Regional cooperation is also growing: Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine signed the Tbilisi Declaration guaranteeing legal aid for displaced populations—a milestone for cross-border solidarity.
Ukraine: lawyers from the Free Legal Aid system learn principles of sensitive communication with people affected by war and survivors of war crimes, including conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV)
Gender Focused initiative in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia conflict-affected regions, years of intercommunal violence left families cut off from land and livelihoods. A gender-focused initiative combines peacebuilding, justice, and economic revival. Women Peace Committees increased by 50% female representation in local peace forums, with more than 1050 women engaged, while female trained paralegals address urgent issues like early marriage. Safe houses, referral systems, and trauma-sensitive training for justice actors strengthens responses to sexual and gender-based violence. Women’s cooperatives further empower survivors economically, creating pathways to resilience and peace.
Looking Ahead
While it is central to the protection of rights, delivering justice during crises is a complex endeavor. Host countries and communities face their own challenges and vulnerabilities, and building solutions demands inclusive dialogue and gender-sensitive approaches.
For these efforts to succeed, we must sustain our commitment and stand with those on the frontlines, starting with the displaced communities themselves. UNDP’s experience shows that combining institutional support, legal empowerment, and community engagement is key to preventing tensions and fostering peace.
This December, UNDP joined the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review to reaffirm its commitment, reinforce collective solutions and partnerships to scaling up impact.
UNDP continues to stand with displaced people and their host communities, working to ensure that justice is not a privilege, but a right for everyone, everywhere.
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