Every 20 June, World Refugee Day is celebrated around the planet, to acknowledge the rights and the dignity of refugees. This year, the event is particularly meaningful: it is also the seventy-fifth anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
, which is the principal international instrument protecting refugees.
Prior to that, Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights already recognized the right to asylum, which is a similar concept to refuge.
An unprecedented global challenge
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that there are over 120 million forcibly displaced persons in the world. That is the highest number on record, reflecting the extent of the humanitarian crises caused by conflict, persecution, human rights violations and climatic disasters.
This year, on the anniversary of the Convention, UNHCR in Spain will launch an awareness-raising campaign with the slogan “75 years making history a personal matter", to highlight that behind every statistic is a life, a family and a future, and a person seeking protection.
Spain: a long-standing commitment to international protection
Spain has reaffirmed its commitment to international protection, to the right to asylum, and to finding sustainable solutions for refugees. In line with that commitment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation is works working to strengthen multilateral cooperation and international solidarity, two pillars of the response to present-day challenges.
At the Global Refugee Forums held in 2019 and 2023, Spain made ambitious commitments that it has continued to put into practice, ranging from strengthening of reception systems to financial support for international programmes.
Once again, last year Spain was among the top donors to UNHCR. In 2025, the country's voluntary contribution was again over 20 million US dollars. In addition, Act 1/2023 on Global Solidarity and Sustainable Development Cooperation sets out a clear time horizon: allocating 0.7% of gross national income to official development assistance (ODA) by 2030, and 10% of that specifically to humanitarian assistance. That framework ensures sustained increases in the budget allocation and strengthens response capability in the event of emergencies.
The UNHCR campaign is a reminder that the history of asylum and refuge is above all a history of humanity. Spain, through its renewed commitments, aims to continue to contribute to that history leading to a future of greater safety and dignity for those seeking protection.