At a press conference at the UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday to mark World Refugee Day, June 20, Guterres expressed worry towards political populism, xenophobia, and racism, in which refugees become a target, often being labeled as a terror threat when in fact they are the first victims of terror, and fleeing terror; hence they are refugees in the first place. He also mentioned the Syria crisis and the diplomatic tensions in the Gulf.  

On Wednesday Guterres arrived in Uganda to attend a World Refugee Day celebration to show solidarity with local refugees.