Latest deaths on Mediterranean highlight urgent need for increased rescue capacity
GENEVA, April 15 (UNHCR) – UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres on Wednesday expressed shock at news from the Mediterranean that hundreds of people were missing after their boat sank and called anew for urgent action to prevent such tragedies in the...
UNHCR urges Kenyan government rethink on Dadaab closure announcement
GENEVA, April 14 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency, responding to Kenya’s announcement that the refugee camps should be closed within three months and 350,000 Somali refugees returned home, on Tuesday urged the government to reconsider. The government’s...
The Inventors of Azraq
The barren, rock-strewn expanse of Jordan’s northern desert looks like it could be the backdrop for a science fiction movie. The only comfort this featureless, Martian landscape offers to the more than 15,000 Syrians who now call this place home is an escape from the...
Statelessness: UNHCR calls for global commitment on women’s nationality rights
NEW YORK, United States, March 10 (UNHCR) – As part of its #IBelong campaign to end statelessness, the UN refugee agency on Tuesday called for a global commitment to ensure all women can pass on their nationality to their children. UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner...
Chasing Away the Shadows
Refugee camps can be dark places. For many thousands of people living in tents and caravans far from home, the day effectively stops at sundown. Lack of light puts refugees at greater risk of injury or misfortune, limits their educational prospects and makes it harder...
Gifts in Wills
Gifts in Wills A legacy gift is a powerful, meaningful way to have an impact on the outcomes of displaced people in the future. Photo: © UNHCR/Will Swanson People forced to flee their homes have made extraordinary efforts to survive. For as long as people are...
The Snow Storm
Aisha, a mother of four from Syria, wraps a blanket around her shoulders as the wind beats against the walls of the tent. Outside, snow is piling up and soon the family’s food will run out. “We are really scared of the storm,” she says, shivering as she hands some...
Rough Crossing
As he stepped onto a boat on the Indonesia coast, Barat Ali Batoor knew he might not survive the voyage to Australia. But it was a risk he says he had to take. “It was not an easy decision for me,” says Batoor, 31, who proved luckier than many who brave the high seas...