Faces of Syria
Nine years since the start of the conflict in Syria the number of people who have been forcibly displaced continues to increase. 13.5 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. Behind this number are the stories of individual people whose lives have been...
UNHCR seeks US$255 million to respond to COVID-19 outbreak
Funding is part of wider UN appeal for US$2 billion to safeguard ‘millions of people who are least able to protect themselves from the new coronavirus.’ By UNHCR staff in Geneva As the coronavirus pandemic accelerates, claiming thousands of lives each day, those at...
UNHCR’s airlift with vital medical aid lands in Iran
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, airlifted today (23 March) some 4.4 tonnes of much-needed medical aid items, including supplies to support the COVID-19 response in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Airbus A330-200 arrived at Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran from...
Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah makes the largest individual contribution ever in support of UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Thani Bin Abdullah Bin Thani Al-Thani Humanitarian Fund announced today in Doha Sheikh Thani’s largest contribution so far to UNHCR. More than US$43 million, channelled through four separate agreements, will fund UNHCR’s work in...
UNHCR airlifts emergency aid for Sudanese refugees in Chad
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, airlifted 93.5 tonnes of emergency aid for...
Statement by Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, on the COVID-19 crisis
“With the world mobilizing to combat the spread of COVID-19, many countries are rightly adopting exceptional measures, limiting air travel and cross-border movements. And for many people around the world, everyday life has come to a standstill, or is being transformed...
IOM, UNHCR announce temporary suspension of resettlement travel for refugees
As countries drastically reduce entry into their territories owing to the COVID-19 global health crisis, and restrictions around international air travel are introduced, travel arrangements for resettling refugees are currently subject to severe disruptions. Some...