Stand up for the Refugee Convention or millions will pay the price
To mark the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, UNHCR’s Grandi calls on states to renew their commitment to its life-saving principles. By Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees The 1951 Refugee Convention, the bedrock of international...
News comment: Death of former High Commissioner Jean-Pierre Hocké
Former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Jean-Pierre Hocké, who led the UN Refugee Agency from 1986 to 1989, passed away on Monday in Lausanne, Switzerland. Prior to becoming UNHCR’s sixth High Commissioner in 1986, Mr. Hocké, a Swiss national, served as Director of...
Barbara Hendricks reflects on half a lifetime helping refugees
On the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, celebrated performer and Honorary Lifetime Goodwill Ambassador looks back at her 35-year role with the UN Refugee Agency. By UNHCR Staff UNHCR’s longest-serving Goodwill Ambassador – world-renowned classical...
Deadly floods and landslides hit Rohingya camps in Bangladesh
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of six Rohingya refugees as three days of heavy monsoon rains and strong winds pelted massive refugee sites in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar on Tuesday, causing flash floods and landslides. According to...
The 1951 Refugee Convention: 70 years of life-saving protection
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, a key international treaty establishing the rights of people forced to flee. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, says that recommitting to its spirit and fundamental principles is more urgent today than ever....
Eritrean refugees in Tigray caught up in conflict
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch – 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 extremely worried about the fate of thousands of...
UNHCR urges states to protect refugees’ rights, not to instrumentalize their plight
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is increasingly concerned by the instrumentalization of refugees and migrants by states apparently to achieve political ends. People are not, and should never be, pawns in geopolitical games. When states encourage population...
UNHCR statement on the return of displaced Syrians
As the dire socio-economic impact of COVID-19 worsens conditions for displaced Syrians, both inside Syria and in hosting countries, UNHCR calls for support for the displaced and their choices. Over the past 10 years, more than 13 million Syrians have been displaced...