Is our world falling apart, or is there still hope? And can the UN be that hope? In the soft light of the Humboldt Coffee Manufactory, an extraordinary conversation unfolds that gives a personal touch to the global challenges of our time. Dr. Ekkehard Griep, Chair of the German United Nations Association, and Chris Melzer, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Germany, share their experiences from crisis zones around the world. What could have been an academic discussion becomes a compelling account of human destinies and institutional limitations through the experiences of these two experts.
122 Million Displaced – A Sad Record
“There are currently more than 120 million displaced people in the world,” Melzer explains in a calm voice. “A historic high, a tragic record. There has never been anything like it.” His words hang heavily in the room. For comparison: Germany has around 83 million inhabitants. Imagine the entire German population, plus almost 40 million more people, being forced to leave their homes.
White Tents and Major Challenges
But there is a small positive aspect to this drama: everyone knows the image of white UNHCR tents in refugee camps from the news. Yet Melzer clears up a misconception: “Only the smallest portion of refugees, not even 10 percent, actually live in camps. Most live side by side with locals.” This means the majority of displaced people worldwide receive (voluntary) help from other individuals, not just institutions.
The UNHCR ‘s work consists of two main components: the “humanitarian arm,” which ensures basic necessities—shelter, clean water, education for children, medical care—and the “political arm,” which advocates for refugee rights. “We were once called the guardians of the Geneva Refugee Convention,” says Melzer.
Under Constant Financial Pressure
The challenges are enormous, and the resources limited. “We’ve always been underfunded, at least for the last 30 or 40 years,” Melzer admits. With an annual budget of about 5.2 billion dollars, the UNHCR may sound well-funded at first. But in light of rising refugee numbers, it’s far from enough.
“When I started at UNHCR, there were about 60 million displaced people. Now it’s 122 million,” Melzer recalls. “That was eight years ago.” This dramatic rise is mainly driven by crises in Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.
“And now in Sudan: 13 million people displaced, most of them within the country.”
And now, many systems are beginning to collapse. The Trump administration halted significant funds previously allocated for international purposes.
The Funding Crisis and Its Deadly Consequences
A dramatic underfunding of UN agencies is looming. “Until recently, the U.S. financed 2.1 billion dollars of UNHCR ’s 5.2 billion dollar budget,” Melzer explains. “And this year, we might get nothing at all.”
The consequences are painfully direct: “It literally costs lives. People die because they can’t be supplied with food, because they don’t get vaccinated, because they don’t have a roof over their heads.”
Because of erratic U.S. policies, the radical freeze on funding, and the planned closure of USAID, millions of people will be left to die in misery—with the full awareness of the wealthy nations.
Still, without the UN, the situation would be far worse.
Blue Helmets: Between Powerlessness and Success Stories
While Melzer speaks from a humanitarian perspective, Dr. Griep sheds light on the role of UN peacekeeping missions. The so-called “blue helmets” are multidimensional missions consisting not only of military units but also police forces and civilian experts in human rights monitoring, governmental advisory, and other areas.
“Peacekeeping missions are essentially designed to buy time,” Griep explains. “They will never be able to solve a conflict. That’s the job of the local actors.”
UN missions aim to de-escalate, provide stability, and create space for the actual peace process.
But how effective are these missions? “It depends entirely on the mandate,” says Griep. Some missions have the right to use force—so-called Chapter Seven mandates based on the UN Charter. Others are purely observer missions.
There are success stories, such as Liberia, where a UN mission helped stabilize the country and build a functioning police force after a 14-year civil war. “By the end of a 15-year process (in 2018), the initial 15,000-person UN mission had shrunk to 800, then 400, eventually just 20 and finally five,” Griep reports. “The mission made itself redundant. And that’s essentially the goal of UN peacekeeping: to make itself unnecessary—when national actors and institutions are capable of taking responsibility.”
There have been similar successes in Côte d’Ivoire and Mozambique. But there have also been failures, such as in Rwanda in 1994, when the UN mission was withdrawn by the Security Council during the genocide, or in Mali, where peacekeepers recently had to withdraw under government pressure—with devastating consequences for security.
When Protection Fails: The Case of Sudan
Sudan is currently the world’s biggest humanitarian catastrophe, as Melzer emphasizes: “13 million people displaced, most of them within the country. 25 million people urgently need humanitarian aid.” Around 3.5 million Sudanese refugees are in neighboring countries, mainly Chad—one of the world’s poorest nations, with an average income of just $600 a year.
These figures highlight a paradox in the global refugee crisis: It’s often not the rich countries of Europe or North America that host the most refugees, but the poorest neighboring nations, which barely have enough resources for their own populations.
Signs of Hope: 1.2 Million Returnees
Despite the bleak overall picture, there are glimmers of hope. “One more number: 1.2 million—that’s how many returnees there were last year,” reports Melzer. “It’s tiny compared to 122 million. But it’s 1.2 million people who could go home. It’s possible. These paths exist.”
These returnees represent the true goal of refugee assistance. Ultimately, it’s not about building camps but helping people return home or integrate elsewhere.
Melzer shares a moving anecdote: Thirty years ago, his former boss met people in a refugee camp on the Mozambican border who said, “We’re going home now.” Three-quarters of them had been born in the camp and had never seen Mozambique. “Still, they said, ‘We’re going home now.’ There seems to be a home gene in us—that drive to return to a place we call home.”
Civil Society as a Beacon of Hope
When states and international organizations reach their limits—who can still help? The answer lies in civil society, in the networks of committed citizens who step in where official structures fail.
For both experts, it’s clear: The crisis is too vast for any single actor to handle.
“We can’t do nearly as much as we want to,” Melzer admits. But that’s exactly where civil society can become effective.
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, put it bluntly before the Security Council: “We simply have to relearn how to make peace. Apparently, we’ve forgotten how over the past 15 years.”
From Coffee Chat to Action
The conversation at Humboldt Coffee Manufactory is over, but the challenges remain. The question is no longer whether we should help—but how each of us can contribute to easing suffering and tackling the root causes of displacement.
While state structures and international organizations often act slowly and with inertia, civil society networks can respond quickly and directly. From local refugee initiatives and fundraising to political advocacy—there are many ways to help.
The message of the evening is clear: When states and institutions falter or fail, civil society must step up. Not as a replacement for state action, but as a necessary complement.
A Call to Action
Instead of lamenting the state of the world at your next weekend barbecue, consider brainstorming with friends how you could make a difference.
Support initiatives for refugees. Invest time to help directly or indirectly, raise funds, or support advocacy efforts—by sharing fact-based information on social media instead of reinforcing prejudices.
The United Nations may oscillate between power and powerlessness—but we ourselves have the power to act. Each of us can be part of the global network that steps in when institutions reach their limits.
In a world with 122 million displaced people, individual contributions may seem small. But as Chris Melzer emphasizes: it’s far more than just a drop in the ocean. It’s a necessary part of the solution in a time when we all must relearn how to make peace—on a global and personal scale.
Ways to Get Involved:
• German United Nations Association
• UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe (German partner of UNHCR)
Chris on LinkedIn? Here!
