Anglicans and Lutherans reaffirm support for refugees

For immediate release, 9 December 2025

As followers of Jesus Christ, who was once a refugee, and as Lutherans and Anglicans, committed to love and serve our neighbours, we jointly reaffirm our commitment to support refugees at a time when unprecedented numbers of people have been forced to flee in search of safety and dignity. 

We also commit ourselves to a multilateralism that enables the principles of effective global cooperation, coordination and sufficient resourcing; and that increases dialogue and trust between countries, international, and local actors.

The multilateral system, set up to safeguard human dignity and ensure support to refugees, is under immense pressure. We recognise the need for its reform and call for this to be based on universal human values, building on what is good and essential in the current setup.

As Anglicans and Lutherans, we are engaged worldwide in hands-on efforts to serve, protect, and accompany refugees. We also work together with refugees, who must play a key role in shaping their futures.

This support includes urgent life-saving interventions, such as food, water, and shelter; education and health; providing protection, legal, and psychosocial support. For example, in Tanzania, Anglicans and Lutherans are involved in different programs that support refugees from Burundi and DRC through the Anglican Church in Tanzania and the Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service. 

This local work means we see firsthand the challenges faced by refugees and other displaced people. In light of that, we affirm that humanitarian efforts must be coordinated globally and locally. Locally, the leadership of UNHCR and its partners, including faith-based organisations, is essential to ensure the work is effective and efficient. Resources must be set aside to enable that. 

Globally, we affirm the need for a multilateral approach, where the countries of the world come together to address the root causes of displacement, including violent conflicts and climate change. The responsibility and capacity to address displacement of people globally must be shared across borders and for that reason the resources should come from many countries and not just a few.

We call for increased dialogue between governments, international organisations, and faith actors. There is clear evidence that sensitivity to peoples’ faith identity is essential when working with refugees. Faith actors are a backbone of communities. Faith communities are often diverse, decentralised, organic, local, and therein lie some of the features which make them a key part of an authentic response to the current displacement crisis. Therein also lie some of the complexities of working with them and we affirm our commitment to dialogue that increases understanding and effective cooperation. 

We also call for increased dialogue on humanitarian response between local and global actors. Only this dialogue can ensure the success of localisation, enabling global agreements to have an impact locally and local realities to inform the international debate. We are ready to play our part in facilitating such dialogue.

We call for an approach to refugee support that is more networked, less hierarchical, while remaining coherent and principled. It must take a people-centered approach which affirms the dignity of every person. Refugees lose many things when they leave, but never their human rights, never their God-given dignity, and never their agency to shape a future with hope.