A note for the world’s most courageous sports team
Footballer and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Alphonso Davies has some words of encouragement for the Refugee Paralympic Team as the Paralympic Games kicks off in Tokyo tomorrow. To the Refugee Paralympic Team, Tomorrow it all begins – the greatest Para sport...
Burundian taekwondo athlete set to make his mark at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
Parfait Hakizimana has overcome numerous challenges to take the stage in Tokyo as part of the Refugee Paralympic Team. By Catherine Wachiaya in Mahama refugee camp, Rwanda When Parfait Hakizimana first heard the news that he would be participating in the Tokyo 2020...
UNHCR warns that humanitarian needs in Afghanistan cannot be forgotten
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo – 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 concerned about the prevailing humanitarian needs...
‘Climate action should be a major focus of emergency preparedness’
UNHCR has more than 17,800 staff working around the world. This World Humanitarian Day, meet Ehsanul Hoque, who works with the environment unit in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. By Kristy Siegfried Name: Ehsanul Hoque, 40, from Bangladesh. Why did you become an aid worker?...
Statement by Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) on Afghanistan
The people of Afghanistan need our support now more than ever. Our organizations are committed to helping and protecting them. We will stay in Afghanistan and we will deliver. At the start of 2021, half the population of Afghanistan – including more than 4 million...
UNHCR report: Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, facing deadlier journeys in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, revealed today that 2020 was the deadliest year on record for refugee journeys in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted many States in Southeast Asia to tighten their borders, leading to the...
Another boat tragedy off North Africa’s Atlantic coast stark reminder of perilous sea journeys
Joint UNHCR/IOM Press Release The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, say the deaths of 47 people who were onboard a boat heading to the Canary Islands from North Africa’s Atlantic coast highlight the urgent need for more...
‘We’ve found peace, stability and quality of life’
Venezuelan refugee mothers start over in northern Mexico. By Tim Gaynor in Tijuana, Mexico Grandmother Magdalena* recalls the despair she felt when she fled Venezuela at age 60. Escaping insecurity, political turmoil and widespread shortages, she sought refuge in...