“I feel really strongly that I have to do it”: Canadian heavy metal bar owner and friends sponsor Syrian refugee families
By Susan Pedwell in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada When images of bombings and injured civilians in Syria flashed across Tyler Berglund’s TV screen, he felt compelled to act. “I wanted to do my part to compensate for the injustices of war,” says Tyler. Over the past two...
UNHCR warns second wave of COVID pandemic driving further violence against refugee women and girls
As the coronavirus pandemic prolongs, a lethal mix of confinement, deepening poverty and economic duress is unleashing a renewed wave of violence against refugee, displaced and stateless women and girls, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning today. “We are...
Gender-based violence on the rise during lockdowns
Data shows that displaced women and girls worldwide are experiencing increased gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. By UNHCR Staff Mónica Pérez* met her first boyfriend when she was 16, not long after she stepped off a bus in the Colombian border city...
Six ‘Films of Hope’ for uncertain times
Sex and the City co-stars Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon chat about their go-to films for inspiration and what the world needs to fight the coronavirus. By Sarah Schafer in New York Looking for inspiration as 2020 drags on? Sex and the City co-stars Kristin Davis and...
Ethiopian refugee numbers in Sudan cross the 40,000 mark
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. The number of Ethiopian refugees streaming into eastern Sudan has now surpassed 40,000...
UN High Commissioner for Refugees warns of grave consequences if world looks away from Afghanistan, reiterates importance of finding solutions to Afghan displacement
At the conclusion of a five-day visit to Afghanistan, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has urged the international community to remain committed to the country at this critical juncture, and called for greater support for Afghan refugees,...
Urgent support needed to help Ethiopian refugees reaching Sudan
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. As the numbers of people fleeing Ethiopia’s Tigray region for eastern Sudan now exceed...
Life-saving evacuations from Libya to Rwanda resume after nearly a year
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, has evacuated yesterday evening (Thursday 19 Nov) a group...