Webinar discusses the ecumenical work that’s helping millions who are displaced by conflict and natural disasters

In 2023, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported that 110 million people were displaced worldwide due to violence, conflict and natural disasters. And those numbers show no sign of slowing down. By the end of 2024, the UNHCR projects more than 130 million people will be displaced globally.

“The number of people forcibly displaced from their homes and communities is at an all-time high,” said the Rev. Dr. Peter Makari, executive for Europe and the Middle East for Global Ministries for the United Church of Christ and The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 

On May 8, Makari was joined by ecumenical partners in a webinar entitled, “People on the Move,” (click here to watch) to discuss the challenges faced by global forced migration and how faith communities are helping people who, Makari said, are “seeking safety and security.”

The webinar was sponsored by the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy (FCEI), the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Reformed Church in America, and Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ.

The United Church of Christ has taken global forced displacement seriously, said Makari. In 2019, a resolution was passed that called on the wider church to learn about global migration. It also urged churches to participate, engage and advocate for displaced people and take efforts to dismantle racism, discrimination, bigotry and xenophobia.

Participating in the webinar were the Rev. Dr. Riyadh Jarjour, president of the Forum for Development, Culture, and Dialogue (FDCD); Shahrbanu Haidair, president of the Afghan Association for Women (Associazione de Solidarieta Donne per le Donne (ASDD); and, Hannah Kummer, a social worker with Mediterranean Hope, a ministry of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy (FCEI) that helps migrants and refugees find safe and legal passage into Italy.

Jarjour began the conversation giving a broad overview of the conflict in Syria and how the war, which began in 2011, and then a subsequent earthquake in 2023, has led to millions of Syrians being displaced. According to UNHRC, Syria remains the world’s largest refugee crisis, with 70% of the population in need of humanitarian assistance.

“The young people feel there is no future for them in Syria,” said Jarjour, adding that the biggest problem to overcome is changing the “heated politicized narrative” when speaking about people on the move.

Kummer agreed with Jarjour.

“We must stop the ‘being invaded’ narrative and speak more of the need to protect life, not borders,” she said.

Kummer shared a bit of Mediterranean Hope’s narrative explaining how the organization was established in 2013 after 368 people seeking refuge died in a shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa.

“Italy has always been a port of landing for migrants, but the passages are not easy ones,” she said.

For Haidari, an Afghan woman who herself sought sanctuary in Italy, her work in empowering refugee and migrant women coming to the country from Afghanistan has not been without its challenges.

“While there are success stories, the integration process for these women is not easy. Systems are not in place yet and many find themselves living in poverty as they don’t have access learning a new language and job training,” she said.

Securing these systems and providing training and education takes funding from various outlets.

For the United Church of Christ, Makari reminded viewers toward the end of the webinar that support for those who have been displaced due to conflict or natural disasters comes from the generous gifts made to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering that is disbursed through Global H.O.P.E.

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