News Releases
We bring you the most up-to-date information from UNHCR Canada through news releases.
Photo: © UNHCR / Roger Arnold
UNHCR: Total number of Syrian refugees exceeds four million for first time
GENEVA (July 9, 2015) The number of refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria to neighbouring countries has now passed four million, confirming this crisis as the world's single largest refugee crisis for almost a quarter of a century under UNHCR's mandate. New arrivals...
Mediterranean crisis sees former Vietnamese boat person break long silence
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, July 6 (UNHCR) – Harrowing images of the Mediterranean boat crisis has brought back "bitter sweet" memories for Anh Lê, one of Denmark's most famous Vietnamese restaurateurs, who crossed oceans herself to arrive where she is today. Aged five, she...
UNHCR delivers relief to 56,000 people in Yemen in May and June
GENEVA, July 3 (UNHCR)—The UN refugee agency said on Friday (July 3) that it had managed to continue to deliver humanitarian aid to displaced people in Yemen in May and June despite severe restrictions on access. "We were able to get basic relief to 56,369 people and...
The Sea Route to Europe
A large majority of the thousands of people who made dangerous sea journeys across the Mediterranean into Europe in the first six months of 2015 were fleeing war, conflict or persecution. This makes the current Mediterranean crisis primarily a refugee crisis,...
2014 becomes the deadliest year at sea off Yemen
There's been a sharp increase this year in the number of migrants and asylum seekers losing their lives in attempts to get to Yemen, mainly from the Horn of Africa, with more deaths in 2014 than in the last three years combined. In the latest tragic incident on Oct 2,...
Millions mark World Refugee Day at events across the globe
GENEVA, June 20 (UNHCR)—Across the world millions marked World Refugee Day on Saturday with joyful and celebratory events in sharp contrast to gloomy statistics showing spiraling global conflict and persecution have led to record numbers of people fleeing their homes....
Kristin Davis gets to know Fiona. #WorldRefugeeDay: Tailor. Farmer. Niece.
Actress Kristin Davis travelled with UNHCR to Uganda to meet refugees from South Sudan. She travelled to Rhino Base Camp settlement, Nguara in northern Uganda. Kristin met Fiona Taba, an 18 year-old woman who is a talented tailor and dreams of being a fashion...
Worldwide displacement hits all-time high as war and persecution increase
GENEVA, June 18 (UNHCR)—Wars, conflict and persecution have forced more people than at any other time since records began to flee their homes and seek refuge and safety elsewhere, according to a new report from the UN refugee agency. UNHCR's annual Global Trends...
Yazidi Women Welcomed Back to the Faith
DOHUK, Iraq—Leila, a 20-year-old Yazidi woman who was taken captive by militants and forced to convert to Islam, escaped in March and has since been reunited with her family. Her story would have been impossible just a few months ago, but she is now one of hundreds of...
Refugees and Human Rights Student Poetry Contest, 2015
UNHCR and the CCUNESCO are happy to announce the winners of the “Refugees and Human Rights Poetry Contest, 2015 edition". Canadian students from grades 4 to 12 from schools across the country submitted high quality poems as part of this contest. There were...
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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