Bangladeshi authorities, aid agencies and refugee volunteers rush to respond as massive fire leaves some 45,000 Rohingya refugees without shelter
This is a summary of what was said by Johannes van der Klaauw, UNHCR Representative in Dhaka, Bangladesh – 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 deeply saddened at the...
Better access to water improves lives for refugees and their hosts in Zimbabwe camp
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and partners have improved water supply at Tongogara camp, in a project funded by the African Development Bank. By Lovemore Dumba in Tongongora refugee camp, Zimbabwe Josephine Mbayo faced many difficulties looking after her eight...
Fear and loss stalk Mozambicans fleeing insurgent violence
Some 670,000 people forced from their homes in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province in a crisis that has failed to hold the world’s attention. By Juliana Ghazi in Cabo Delgado Herculano and his wife Isabella left everything behind when they fled their village in...
High Commissioner’s Message on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Statement by Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Over the past year, we’ve witnessed the deadly impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the scourge of racism has also devastated many lives with tragic consequences. Violent and deadly attacks against Black,...
Armed attacks kill hundreds, displace 40,000 civilians in northeast DR Congo
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 warning about an alarming increase in the number of...
#IAmAnAdvocate: Q&A with Canadian author, teacher and former refugee Hieu Pham-Fraser on her new children’s book about racism
In the 1970s and 1980s, Canada welcomed thousands of refugees, often referred to as “boat people” who fled political persecution after the Vietnam civil war ended. Hieu Pham-Fraser and her parents were among them. Now 47-years-old, a teacher and a published children’s...
Rohingya refugees and local Bangladeshis benefit from inclusive COVID-19 response
Healthcare facilities in Cox’s Bazar have been treating both Rohingya refugee and Bangladeshi COVID patients. Now, a national vaccination campaign will take the same inclusive approach. By Louise Donovan and Iffath Yeasmine in Cox’s Bazar When the first cases of...
Colombian coroner gives Venezuelans dignified burials
When Venezuelan refugees and migrants cannot afford a decent burial, Sonia Bermúdez ensures they have a final resting place. By Ángela M. Méndez-Triviño in Riohacha, Colombia Over the nearly half-century that she worked in forensics, there was one thing Sonia Bermúdez...