Nearly 400 Rohingya refugees receiving assistance in medical facilities in Cox’s Bazar, following two months at sea
At the request of the Government of Bangladesh, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and partners in Bangladesh are currently providing shelter and assistance for close to 400 Rohingya refugee survivors who disembarked from a boat in the Bay of Bengal on Thursday morning. We...
Refugee call centre fills gap amid Lebanon’s coronavirus shutdown
With most face-to-face humanitarian programmes now on hold, region’s largest call centre offers vital support to struggling refugees during COVID-19 lockdown. By Rima Cherri in Jal El Dib, Lebanon In a large, open-plan office on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital,...
Support for internally displaced people needs to be ‘urgently stepped up’
UNHCR’s Sumbul Rizvi reflects on why the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement remain so important, especially amid new dangers posed by coronavirus. By Matthew Mpoke Bigg Millions of people are forced to flee their homes each year because of conflict or...
Drawing on Ebola lessons to protect Tanzania camps from coronavirus
Public health officer Miata Tubee Johnson brings her experience tackling the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in Liberia to fight COVID-19 in Tanzania. By Abdulkhaliq Khalif in Kibondo, Tanzania When an outbreak of Ebola stalked West Africa five years ago, Miata Tubee...
Refugees offer medical experience to help tackle coronavirus crisis in France
Doctors from Libya and Somalia are among refugee medics joining the battle to fight COVID-19 and save lives. By Celine Schmitt and Rachel Jenkins in Paris The COVID-19 crisis has sparked an outpouring of solidarity from people around the world and that includes...
The Council of Europe and UNHCR support Member States in bringing refugee health workers into the COVID-19 response
As many European countries continue to struggle with the unprecedent COVID-19 crisis, the Council of Europe and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today encourage States to benefit from the support refugee health professionals can provide to national health systems at this...
Coronavirus – Now is not the time to forget Afghanistan and its neighbours
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, urges greater support to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran...
Children’s storybook released to help children and young people cope with COVID-19
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Press Release A new storybook that aims to help children understand and come to terms with COVID-19 has been produced by a collaboration of more than 50 organizations working in the humanitarian sector, including the World Health...