UNHCR mobilizes aid for Beirut in aftermath of deadly blast
Agency channels US$35 million in emergency funds to worst-affected by explosion, focusing on shelter and protection needs among Lebanese, refugees and migrants. By Houssam Hariri in Beirut, Lebanon As Lebanon confronts the devastating toll of the explosion that ripped...
UNHCR applauds Canada’s commitment to grant permanent residency to asylum-seekers working on COVID-19 frontlines
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes Canada’s announcement to open pathways to permanent residency for asylum-seekers in the healthcare sector who have worked on the frontlines of the country’s COVID-19 response. “This is an exemplary act of solidarity which...
More progress on statelessness in Central Asia as Turkmenistan becomes latest country to champion universal birth registration
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes a new law in Turkmenistan which will help ensure that all children born in the country will have their births registered. The Law on Civil Status Acts, which entered in to force in July, will help prevent new cases of...
Food aid offers lifeline to refugees under curfew in Libya
Amid soaring food prices and lack of casual work due to COVID-19 restrictions, joint UNHCR and WFP food aid prevents vulnerable refugees from going hungry. By Caroline Gluck in Tripoli, Libya Sitting under the shade of a tree in a small courtyard close to their home...
UNHCR, IOM: Interception at sea is not the solution to channel crossings
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are troubled by the proposal to intercept boats and return those attempting to cross the English Channel irregularly. The foreseen deployment of large naval vessels to deter such...
Personal tragedy drives Honduran social worker’s fight against gang violence
Gangs prey upon vulnerable youths. But a man whose family was devastated by these criminal organizations is drawing on his past to provide youths with an alternative. By Pamela Villars in Tegucigalpa, Honduras For Santiago Ávila, the fight against the powerful street...
Beirut blast death toll includes dozens of refugees, emergency response ramps up
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, is saddened to report that the list of more than 200...
Clashes in Sudan’s West Darfur force 2,500 to seek safety in Chad
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. Recent violence in Western Darfur has forced Sudanese refugees to seek safety in...