News Releases
We bring you the most up-to-date information from UNHCR Canada through news releases.
Photo: © UNHCR / Roger Arnold
These 10 refugees will compete at the 2016 Olympics in Rio
For the first time, a team of refugee athletes will compete under the Olympic flag. Since the modern Olympics began in 1896, over 200 national teams have vied for glory at the Summer and Winter Games. Now, for the first time, a team of refugees will compete as well....
Mediterranean death toll soars in first five months of 2016
GENEVA, May 31 (UNHCR)—At least 880 people are believed to have drowned last week in a spate of shipwrecks and boat capsizings on the Mediterranean, the UN Refugee Agency said today. “For so many deaths to have occurred just in a matter of days and months is shocking...
UNHCR warns of worsening shelter conditions for refugees, launches global campaign
Geneva, 18 May 2016 - A huge shortfall in funds for sheltering refugees is severely undermining efforts to tackle the biggest global displacement crisis since World War II, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, warned today. At the launch today of a new global campaign,...
UNHCR goodwill ambassador Cate Blanchett visits refugees in Jordan
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has announced the appointment of Cate Blanchett as a Global Goodwill Ambassador. The announcement comes as Cate returns from Jordan where she witnessed the ongoing humanitarian support to people displaced by conflict in Syria. She met...
UNHCR welcomes Morneau Shepell’s renewed partnership to educate and empower refugee girls in Kakuma Camp
OTTAWA, April 25, 2016 - UNHCR welcomes Morneau Shepell's renewed commitment to provide secondary education to refugee girls in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. Morneau Shepell, UNHCR's largest corporate donor in Canada, announced today a contribution in the amount of CAD...
UNHCR emergency airlift to aid Ecuador quake relief
GENEVA, April 18 (UNHCR) – The UN Refugee Agency is readying preparations for a major aid airlift, expected in the next 48 hours, to help people displaced by the worst earthquake to strike Ecuador in decades. This follows a request for UN help received from the...
UNHCR chief hails Canada PM’s leadership in global affairs
OTTAWA, Canada, March 22 (UNHCR) – Marking his first visit to Canada, the United Nations refugee chief congratulated Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his humanitarian leadership over the global refugee crisis and conveyed a strong message of support calling for this...
High Commissioner Grandi greets Syrian refugees in Ottawa
OTTAWA, Canada, March 19 (UNHCR) – Just hours after landing in Ottawa, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi met a group of Syrian refugees who recently arrived to Ottawa. The families came to Canada as part of Canada's humanitarian...
UNHCR on EU-Turkey deal: Asylum safeguards must prevail in implementation
UNHCR notes today's agreement between the European Union and Turkey on the situation of refugees and migrants seeking to make their way to Europe. We recognize the shared need of countries to find properly managed solutions to this situation. Indeed UNHCR has on...
Looking at Syria after five years of conflict
GENEVA, March 15 (UNHCR) – As Syria's war reaches another grim milestone today, refugees fleeing the five-year conflict face greater hurdles to finding safety while international solidarity with its victims is failing to match and reflect the scale and seriousness of...
To inquire about news releases, please reach out to our Media Contact:
Media Contact
Levon Sevunts
Communications Officer
P: +1 613-286-6975
E: sevunts@unhcr.org
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