UNHCR’s Grandi urges increase in the scope of humanitarian assistance in Syria, including to people returning from displacement
DAMASCUS, Syria – UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi reaffirmed UNHCR’s support to the most vulnerable in Syria and urged an increase in the scope of humanitarian assistance in the country, including to people who have chosen to return home following...
UN Agencies regret the death of persons on the move in Latin America, and stand ready to accompany a coordinated regional response
UN Agencies deeply regret the shipwreck in Acandí, Colombia, on October 11 of a vessel carrying around 30 people headed to Panama. Colombian authorities reported that three people lost their lives in the tragedy and another six, including three children, are missing....
Hungry and shivering, Kabul displaced brace for bleak winter
In Kabul, nearly 50,000 Afghans displaced from other parts of the country by recent fighting are desperate to receive aid before winter sets in. By Tony Aseh in Kabul, Afghanistan At a facility operated by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, about 15 kilometres outside...
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi urges support for crisis-hit Lebanon
BEIRUT, Lebanon – At the end of a two day visit to Lebanon, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, urged the international community to scale-up its support to the Lebanese people and the refugees they host. “I am visiting Lebanon during a very difficult...
UNHCR calls on states to expedite family reunification procedures for Afghan refugees
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is urging states to facilitate and expedite family...
No safe place to go for asylum-seekers snared in Libya dragnet
Desperate refugees and asylum-seekers in Tripoli in urgent need of assistance and protection amid security sweeps. By Mohamed Alalem and Anas Abumais in Tripoli, Libya. When Libyan forces swept through Tripoli’s Gergaresh neighbourhood earlier this month in a...
Iranian father and son re-enact their story for Hungarian theatre goers
Iranian refugee Abouzar and his son, Armin, chose to stay in Hungary despite being detained at the border for 18 months. A new theatre production offers some clues as to why. By Helen Womack and Erno Simon in Budapest In a metal container with one small window looking...
World Food Day: Celebrating efforts to strengthen local food systems for displaced and host communities
Geneva – The 16th of October is World Food Day. This year, the World Food Day commemorations will be jointly led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the World Food Programme (WFP). As part of the...