Refugees in a Turbulent World: Challenges and Debates in Global Refugee Protection

The Geneva School of Diplomacy welcomed Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), for a high-level discussion on the evolving global refugee landscape and the urgent protection challenges facing displaced populations worldwide.

As geopolitical instability, armed conflict, persecution, and climate-related pressures continue to drive displacement across the globe, the international refugee protection system faces increasing strain.

In this timely session, the Geneva School of Diplomacy hosted Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), for an in-depth discussion on the realities shaping refugee protection in an increasingly complex international environment.

Drawing on extensive experience within the United Nations system, Ms Menikdiwela explored the legal, humanitarian, and political dimensions of refugee protection, examining how international institutions and states are responding to growing displacement pressures while balancing evolving geopolitical realities.

The discussion addressed critical questions surrounding international responsibility-sharing, access to protection, durable solutions, and the broader challenges of sustaining humanitarian commitments in a turbulent world.

Held as part of the Geneva School of Diplomacy’s Emerging Issues & Persistent Challenges series, the event provided students, faculty, and members of the wider diplomatic and international affairs community with valuable insights into one of the defining humanitarian issues of our time.

About the Speaker

Ruvendrini Menikdiwela — Assistant High Commissioner for Protection

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Ruvendrini Menikdiwela serves as Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where she leads the organisation’s global protection work for refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, and internally displaced populations.

With decades of international legal and humanitarian experience, she has held senior leadership roles across the United Nations system and has worked extensively on refugee protection, international law, displacement response, and humanitarian policy.

Her work has contributed significantly to shaping international protection frameworks and advancing responses to some of the world’s most pressing displacement crises.