Refugee Convention at 75: The world must keep the promise that saved me

What the report says

In an opinion article published by Al Jazeera on July 28, 2026, Yusra Mardini, a Global Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency, marked the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention by urging governments to preserve protections for people forced to flee war, violence and persecution. Mardini, who left Syria and crossed the Aegean Sea in an overcrowded boat a decade earlier, wrote that the convention gave her the legal chance to seek safety and rebuild her life in Germany.

Mardini connected the international treaty to her own path as a swimmer who later competed in two Olympic Games and represented the Refugee Olympic Team. She argued that refugee status changes a person’s circumstances but not their identity, talents or aspirations. Al Jazeera identified the piece as the author’s own views, separate from the outlet’s editorial position.

The article said more than 120 million people worldwide have been displaced by conflict, violence and persecution, and warned that the global refugee protection system is facing growing strain from prolonged wars, new crises, closed borders, dangerous routes and hostility toward asylum seekers. Mardini also said countries hosting large refugee populations need more equitable international support.

Mardini described returning to Syria in early 2025 for the first time in ten years, saying the experience underscored that return requires more than crossing back into a homeland: people also need safety, schools, hospitals, homes and work. Her central message was that the Refugee Convention remains a vital promise against abandoning people in danger.