As refugee numbers surge, Ethiopians seek word of loved ones
Over 40,000 Ethiopians have fled the Tigray crisis into eastern Sudan, with no sign of a let-up in new arrivals. Many anxiously hope to be reunited with their families. By Charles Emptaz in Hamdayet, Sudan Lezabu is frantic with worry. The single mother-of-three has...
“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...
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...
Statement on passing of Gary Troeller
OTTAWA, CANADA – It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Gary Troeller, former UNHCR Representative in Canada who served here in the mid-1990s. Mr. Troeller had a long and distinguished career with UNHCR, serving in several countries in Europe and...
Asylum seekers tell of relief as they leave Libya for Rwanda
As life-saving evacuation flights to Rwanda resume after nearly a year-long hiatus due to COVID-19, vulnerable asylum seekers put their ordeals in Libya behind them. By Caroline Gluck in Tripoli, Libya Wrapped in a white headscarf and keeping her six-year-old son...
‘Leave no one behind’ in national health plans – UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations
Addressing this year’s High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection, Raouf Mazou, shines a spotlight on the need for inclusion when it comes to health policies. By UNHCR staff The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need to include refugees and displaced people in...
‘It was a very emotional moment … I felt that now I definitely exist’
After a lifetime of statelessness, Linda finally gained Russian citizenship in 2018. But hundreds of thousands of others across Europe still struggle to attain that basic right. By Dinara Galakhova in Moscow Linda’s life in Russia shows what it means to overcome...
