Public health response in Rohingya refugee settlements on alert as first coronavirus case confirmed
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and partner organizations have further intensified...
Venezuelan counsellors offer fellow refugees ‘psychological first aid’
In Peru, Venezuelan mental health professionals are reaching out to the diaspora with remote sessions to help them cope in the coronavirus pandemic. By Victoria Thomas and Emily Álvarez in Lima, Peru Even as David Marín Cabrera helps his fellow Venezuelans deal with...
UNHCR urges prioritization of mental health support in coronavirus response
The consequences of coronavirus are taking a huge toll on the mental health of refugees, displaced and stateless people, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning today. “COVID-19 is not just a physical health crisis but it is now also triggering a mental health...
Coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on displaced Venezuelans
COVID-19 stay-at-home orders have taken a heavy toll on Venezuelan refugees and migrants, many of whom were barely scraping by even before the pandemic hit. By UNHCR Staff 2020 was looking to be a better year for María,* a Venezuelan grandmother who was making great...
COVID-19 inflicts hardship on refugees and migrants from Venezuela
Joint UNHCR-IOM Press Release With the COVID-19 pandemic threatening the safety and future of millions of refugees and migrants from Venezuela and their host communities, more than 150 organizations working across 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are...
UN agencies warn conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic present a significant threat to life in Libya
Joint statement by OCHA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNFPA, WFP, WHO, IOM. Conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic present a significant threat to life in Libya. The health and safety of the country’s entire population are at risk. Close to 400,000 Libyans have been displaced since the...
Nigeria violence sees 23,000 refugees flee into Niger in one month
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. Ongoing violence in parts of north-western Nigeria forced an estimated 23,000 people to...
UNHCR warns stateless people risk being left behind in coronavirus response
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is urging Governments worldwide to pay urgent attention to the plight of millions of stateless people and to follow a set of recommendations the organization has issued today to ensure their coverage in the COVID-19 response. “Millions of...