Filippo Grandi said the number currently stands at 114 million. “We will update this figure next month. It will be higher,” he added.
Mr Grandi recalled his last briefing to the ambassadors seven months ago, when he gave his views on various crises around the world.
Non-compliance with international law
He said the situation has not changed and has even become worse because the warring parties are not complying with international humanitarian law.
“Parties to conflicts – increasingly, everywhere, almost all – have stopped respecting the basic rules of war, and sometimes even pretend to do so,” he said.
“Civilians are being killed in growing numbers; rape and other forms of sexual violence are used as weapons of war; civilian infrastructure is hit and destroyed; humanitarian aid workers become targets.”
Gaza conflict
Mr. Grandi noted that because of these violations, citizens have no choice but to flee in panic.
“What has happened in Gaza since the Hamas attacks last October 7, and during the Israeli offensive, is a good example of this,” he continued.
The UN refugee chief added his voice to those who have urged the Council for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, the full resumption of humanitarian aid and a return to a genuine pursue a peace process.
Against ‘forced exodus’
While upholding the universal right to seek asylum, he said that “in this case there is also – and above all – the international legal obligation of an occupying power not to force the civilian population to flee the territory it occupies.”
He warned of “another forced exodus of Palestinians,” saying this “will only create one more intractable problem and make a solution to this decades-long conflict impossible.”
Unresolved crises worldwide
Mr Grandi told the Council that the war in Gaza should also serve as a call not to forget other unresolved crises, such as the conflict in Syria.
About 5.6 million Syrians now live as refugees in neighboring countries such as Lebanon, which have hosted Palestinian refugees for generations.
Turning to Myanmar, he said the situation in Rakhine State is particularly worrying.
Renewed fighting between the armed forces and the Arakan Army ethnic armed group, which has displaced several ethnic communities, with the mainly Muslim Rohingya community caught between the sides.
Meanwhile, the volatile east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the most dangerous place on earth for women and children.
He listed factors such as persistent ethnic problems, the plundering of resources by numerous actors, including states, and the continued disrespect for displaced persons camps by armed men.
Turning to Ukraine, he said “international humanitarian law is being violated every day,” including attacks on the electricity grid, homes and other civilian infrastructure.
Mr Grandi said the blatant disregard for international humanitarian law also makes it much more difficult to achieve peace. He cited the example of Sudan, where rival forces have been fighting for more than a year.
“For both sides, regardless of any sense of humanity and respect for their own people, the solution remains essentially a military one,” he said.
‘It’s not too late’
Out of frustration, the UN refugee chief called for UN action Security Council.
“Last year I called on you to use your voice – not your voice. But the cacophony of this Council has meant that you have instead continued to preside over a wider cacophony of chaos around the world,” he said.
Noting that tens of thousands have been killed in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, the DRC, Myanmar and elsewhere, he stressed that “it is not too late to step up assistance for the millions who have been forcibly displaced to return home voluntarily , in safety and with dignity.”
He added: “It is not too late to try to save countless millions more from the scourge of war.”
