UN refugee chief: 114 million have fled homes because nations fail to tackle causes of conflict

FILE - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) chief Filippo Grandi speaks to The Associated Press in Nairobi, Kenya, on Feb. 5, 2024. Palestinians evacuate Kamal Adwan hospital following an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, May 21, 2024.

The number of people fleeing their homes because of war, violence and persecution has reached 114 million and is climbing because nations have failed to tackle the causes and combatants are refusing to comply with international law, the U.N. refugee chief said Thursday.