UNHCR welcomes Indonesia’s act of humanity, saving desperate human lives adrift at sea
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is relieved to see more than 200 desperate people being brought ashore to safety, in north-west Indonesia over the past few days. Many among them are believed to have been adrift for at least a month, without any help before being...
UNHCR urges States to act now to save lives in the Andaman Sea
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is reminding States in the region that some 190 desperate people are on the verge of perishing at sea, adrift somewhere between the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal as pleas to rescue and disembark them are continuously ignored. Reports...
Child’s joy helps Syrian refugee family weather Lebanon’s economic crisis
Born without a forearm, Sarah’s playful spirit gives her struggling family strength as economic crisis makes a tough situation harder still. By Nadine Mazloum in Beirut, Lebanon On the roof of an old building, in a poor, crowded neighborhood of the Lebanese capital...
UNHCR welcomes new legislation to address internal displacement in Honduras
GENEVA – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, applauds the adoption by the National Congress in Honduras of landmark legislation that establishes an essential legal framework to respond to the complex situation of thousands of forcibly displaced people within the...
Despite multiple displacements, Honduran woman emerges as a pillar of her community
Each time violence or tragedy erupted in her life, Laura* found herself forced to flee. But a women’s organization has helped give her the strength to carry on and become a leader. By Danielle Álvarez and Analía Kim in San Pedro Sula, Honduras For Laura,* tragedy had...
To my refugee grandad, who taught me to dream
In this occasional series, we feature letters from people to refugees who have shaped their lives. Yash, 17, writes to his refugee grandfather, now deceased, whom he affectionately calls Dadu. His grandad fled his home located in current-day Bangladesh as a teenager...
Home is where the heart is: how former asylum-seekers are giving back
Finding the meaning of home while on a journey in search of safety and refuge By Soo-Jung Kim On a bright December afternoon, the burgundy front door swings open. A few hours earlier, a group of volunteers had dropped by, armed with a wreath in hand, to decorate the...
With a fifth of the world’s forcibly displaced in the Americas, UNHCR’s Grandi calls for urgent solutions
GENEVA – With one-fifth of the world’s 100 million forcibly displaced people hosted in the Americas, urgent action is needed to respond to and resolve their plight, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said, as he concluded a week-long visit to the...