Refugees and their host communities in India hard hit by coronavirus lockdown
Life was already a struggle for many of the 40,276 refugees registered with UNHCR in India, but the coronavirus pandemic has made their survival even more precarious. By Vatsal Raj in New Delhi, India Nezamudden Linn, a 44-year-old Rohingya refugee who arrived in...
Uganda opens border to thousands fleeing Congo violence
Country lifts COVID-19 closure to admit refugees escaping escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. By Duniya Aslam Khan in Zombo district, Uganda She is sick, she is frail and separated from her family. Emmanuelle Ochaya, 56, has been sleeping...
UNHCR issues recommendations for EU to ensure refugee protection during the pandemic and beyond
BRUSSELS – As the world continues to combat COVID-19, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is calling on the German Presidency of the European Union (EU) to keep refugee protection high on the agenda. UNHCR is proposing concrete ways the EU can ensure a bold and robust...
Uganda provides a safe haven to DRC refugees amid COVID-19 lockdown
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the decision by the Government of Uganda to give safe haven to thousands of refugees fleeing escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They have been stranded in a remote, inaccessible area in...
Enhanced support for Syria refugees vital amid COVID-19 pandemic – UNHCR chief
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi tells donors enhanced support is needed to prevent refugees and their hosts from slipping “deeper into poverty and despair.” By UNHCR staff UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi called on Tuesday for greater...
UNHCR appalled at rising violence against displaced in eastern DRC
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 alarmed at the increasing number of violent attacks on...
Economic misery engulfs Syrian refugees and their hosts
In Lebanon, capacity of local community and Syrian refugees to provide mutual support being stretched to breaking point by economic turmoil and COVID-19 crisis. By Walid Saleh and Warda Al-Jawahiry in Tripoli, Lebanon Behind the counter of her small convenience store...
UN chiefs urge sustained support to Syrians and the region ahead of fourth Brussels conference
NEW YORK/GENEVA – On the eve of the fourth Supporting Syria and the Region conference in Brussels 30 June, the United Nations urged international donors to redouble their commitment to Syrians and the region. The Heads of the UN’s humanitarian, development, and...