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...
UNHCR urges more support to boost refugee access to tertiary education
Only three per cent of refugees have access to higher education, according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. In its “Refugee Student Voices: Refugee Students In Higher Education” report released this week, UNHCR is calling for critical support to scale up existing...
UN Refugee Chief in Mexico hears stories of hope and despair from Central American refugees, calls for more support for refugee response
Mexico City – During a four-day visit to Mexico, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visited an innovative programme to integrate refugees, and met refugees and asylum seekers in cities in the northern and southern parts of the country, who told him about...
Intrepid lawyer achieves quest to eradicate statelessness in Kyrgyzstan
Heading out on foot, on horseback and in four-wheel drives, Azizbek Ashurov and his team of lawyers have helped Kyrgyzstan to end statelessness. By Kate Bond in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Republic Azizbek Ashurov says he does not secure citizenship for people who live...
Kyrgyz human rights lawyer wins UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award
A lawyer whose work has supported the efforts of the Kyrgyz Republic in becoming the first country in the world to end statelessness has been selected as the 2019 winner of the UN Refugee Agency’s Nansen Refugee Award. Azizbek Ashurov, through his organization...
Statelessness in Canada: UNHCR Canada releases new study
By Anaheh Ghookassian Khoygani in Ottawa, Canada 2019 marks the mid-point of UNHCR’s #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness. The #IBelong Campaign was launched in November 2014 with the goal of ending statelessness within 10 years. Together with States, civil society...
UN Refugee Chief praises Mexico’s support for refugees
As Central Americans’ asylum claims soar 231 per cent in less than one year, Filippo Grandi calls for further resources to better cope with the flow. By Jenny Barchfield in Tapachula, Mexico When he received a death threat from a security official angered by his...
Refugee movements in South East Asia decrease, but threats on their journey rise
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Liz Throssell – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Refugee movements in South East Asia dropped sharply over the 18 months between...