Protection of Civilians

In the past 10 years, the number of people who have been forcibly displaced from their communities globally—including refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs)—has more than doubled, to a historic high of 103 million. The deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan, and conflicts in Ethiopia and Ukraine that risk becoming protracted, have contributed to a sharp rise in displacement. While the U.S. has historically played a leading role on refugee and IDP issues, its admission numbers have yet to recover from their historic lows following the dismantling of the United States Refugees Admissions Program (USRAP) under the previous administration and shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fast Facts

• The DoS has sought to address protracted displacement through diplomatic engagement led by the Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM).
• The U.S. under the Biden Administration has shown commitment toward the principles of two global compacts: the Global Compact on Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees, and PRM is participating in the lead-up to the 2023 Global Refugee Forum.
• The Biden Administration has committed to rebuild the USRAP, setting a target to resettle 125,000 refugees in 2022 and renewing that target for 2023, and taken measures to reduce the backlog of pending asylum cases. Each year, the U.S. provides critical support to partner organizations working to address forced displacement globally. PRM’s request for Migration and Refugee Assistance in 2023 tops $3.9 billion to support nearly 80 NGOs and 10 international organizations in delivering lifesaving assistance to millions of people, including IDPs, refugees, and stateless persons.
• PRM provides diplomatic support and concessional financing through the World Bank’s Global Concessional Financing Facility and replenishments of the International Development Association (IDA) Sub-Window for Host Communities and Refugees (WHR). The U.S. has contributed roughly 15% of total donor state contributions—$3.5 billion—toward funding the IDA20 replenishment for 2022 to 2025. This includes contributions toward the WHR, which will continue to focus on the medium- to long-term development needs of host communities and refugees through governmental support.