After decades in the shadows, stateless activist says ‘finally I exist’
Actress and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett interviews statelessness activist Maha Mamo about her 30-year-push to belong. Activist Maha Mamo’s face lights up as she recalls the moment a year ago when Brazil granted her citizenship, ending her 30-year quest to...
‘Bigger, broader’ vision needed to tackle forced displacement – UN refugee chief
A more ambitious international approach is needed to address contemporary drivers of displacement, Filippo Grandi tells high-level meeting. GENEVA – A “bigger, broader” international response is needed to tackle global forced displacement in a world in which new...
Kyrgz rights lawyer to be honoured at Nansen Refugee Award ceremony
Azizbek Ashurov spent over a decade helping the Kyrgyz Republic to resolve all known cases of statelessness in a historic first. By Kate Bond in Geneva, Switzerland A lawyer who has spent over a decade championing the rights of more than 10,000 stateless people in the...
UN High Commissioner for Refugees warns of risks to the fight against statelessness
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi warned today that recent advances in the battle to end statelessness – a leading cause of human rights deprivation for millions of people worldwide – were being imperiled by a rise in damaging forms of nationalism. In...
South Sudanese teacher dedicates his life in exile to refugees of all ages
Classes are overcrowded, there are not enough textbooks, but Koat Reath does not complain. A dedicated refugee teacher, he will do anything to improve his pupils’ lives. By Katie Nguyen in Gambella, Ethiopia The chorus of children’s voices coming from teacher Koat...
Millions in eastern Ukraine endure invisible wounds of war
After five years of conflict, aid agencies are striving to meet the mental health needs of those affected. By Iryna Tymchyshyn in Svitlodarsk, Ukraine The thought of one more night sheltering in her dark, damp basement makes Maryna*, 56, tremble, after five years of...
Syrian seamstress builds brand loyalty from a refugee camp
Widowed mother-of-seven turns former pastime into a thriving business in Iraq’s Domiz refugee camp, and passes on her skills to help others earn a living. By Firas Al-Khateeb and Rasheed Hussein Rasheed in Domiz Refugee Camp, Kurdistan Region of Iraq Standing inside...
News comment by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on anniversary of Lampedusa shipwreck
Today in Lampedusa, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is joining with civil society, local and national authorities, survivors of the shipwreck, and well-wishers from Italy to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Reception, established by law in 2016 to honour the 368...