UNHCR chief: Why the world’s biggest nations have done so little to help refugees

October 12, 2020

UNHCR Chief: Why the World’s Biggest Nations Have Done so Little to Help Refugees | GZERO World

The three largest economies in the word, the United States, China and Japan take a tiny fraction of the refugees compared to that of far poorer countries. Ian Bremmer asks UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi why that's the case and how to change it. "The backlog of asylum claims in the US is astronomical," Grandi tells Bremmer. "It's by far the biggest in the world" Their conversation was part of an episode of GZERO World.

Watch the episode: UNHCR chief: How the pandemic has upended the lives of refugees

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French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the members of the media, after arriving by plane to attend the Gaza Peace Summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025.

Yoan Valat/Pool via REUTERS

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Palestinian children look at rubble following Israeli forces' withdrawal from the area, after Israel and Hamas agreed on the Gaza ceasefire, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 10, 2025.

REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

Israel approved the Gaza ceasefire deal on Friday morning, bringing the ceasefire officially into effect. The Israeli military must withdraw its forces to an agreed perimeter inside Gaza within 24 hours, and Hamas has 72 hours to return the hostages.

UNHCR chief: Why the world’s biggest nations have done so little to help refugees

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UNHCR chief: Why the world’s biggest nations have done so little to help refugees

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More from GZERO Media

A new set of forces is distorting the economy's response mechanisms and muting the traditional cycle. Listen to Strategic Alternatives, the RBC Capital Markets podcast, to hear Chief Economist Frances Donald break down what it means for companies, investors, and policymakers.

People from different cultures often approach the same problem in different ways. We wondered — would an AI trained and tuned in China approach a complex geopolitical challenge differently than a model created and trained in Europe, or in the United States?

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Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

In this week's Quick Take, Ian Bremmer talks about the landmark moment in the Middle East: All 20 remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas have been released, and a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has been signed—brokered by President Trump.

Israel approved the Gaza ceasefire deal on Friday morning, bringing the ceasefire officially into effect. The Israeli military must withdraw its forces to an agreed perimeter inside Gaza within 24 hours, and Hamas has 72 hours to return the hostages.

We’re living in a time of record-high conflict, a level of violence not seen since World War II. The past four years have been marred by deadly battles in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, and beyond, with approximately 14% of the planet’s population now impacted by war.

Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.