The courage to welcome: solidarity in a divided world
In one of his final public addresses before leaving office, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi reflects on a decade of global displacement, leadership, and moral responsibility.
What does it mean to lead with compassion in a world riven by fear, at a time when the responses to forced displacement hold the power to reshape our communities? How do institutions and individuals sustain solidarity amid rising division?
A flagship event for Westminster Abbey Institute, the One People Oration is both a farewell from a major international figure and a call to the next generation of public servants. Join us to bear witness.
Filippo Grandi is the 11th United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He was first elected by the UN General Assembly on 1 January 2016 for a five-year term. The General Assembly has since twice re-elected him to serve, and he will complete his term on 31 December 2025. Grandi was born in Milan in 1957 and has been engaged in refugee and humanitarian work for more than 30 years. From 2010 to 2014, he served as Commissioner-General of UNRWA, the UN Agency for Palestine refugees, having previously been its Deputy Commissioner-General since 2005. He also served as Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Afghanistan and has worked with NGOs and UNHCR in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and at its Geneva headquarters.
Westminster Abbey Institute aims to nurture and revitalise moral and spiritual values in public life and service. It seeks to replenish and sustain public servants of all faiths and none, and to celebrate and animate public service as a force for good. The Institute draws on Westminster Abbey’s resources of spirituality and theological learning, rooted in its daily worshipping life and broader Christian tradition, to convene discussion, nourish reflection and inspire regeneration.
Explore the full autumn event series to discover further opportunities for reflection, conversation, and renewal. Featuring voices from across public life, each event offers a chance to engage meaningfully with the moral and ethical dimensions of public service.
