After decades in Thailand, Myanmar refugees head home
Around 300 refugees are returning to south-east Myanmar, among them a family of four generations. By Jennifer Harrison in Mae La Temporary Shelter, Thailand Great-grandparents Pree and Dee Noe are looking forward to returning to their homeland after three decades in...
El Salvador joins regional effort to address forced displacement in Central America
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes El Salvador’s decision to join a regional initiative that aims to better address forced displacement in and from Central America, and to help those affected by it. By joining the initiative, known in the region by its Spanish...
New Mediterranean boat tragedy is worst this year: UNHCR
Yesterday’s boat disaster off Libya, with reports of some 150 lives having been lost, underscores once again the terrible urgency of our repeated pleas to European and other governments for restoring sea rescues and help with alleviating the suffering of the thousands...
Pregnant women flee lack of maternal health care in Venezuela
Thousands of pregnant women have left Venezuela to protect the lives of their unborn babies and their own. By Alejandra Romo in Maicao, Colombia Roxibel Pulido, 29, was three months pregnant when she heard that the nearest hospital from her neighborhood, in the city...
Joint Statement: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and IOM Director General António Vitorino welcome consensus on need for action on Libya, Mediterranean
Today’s discussions in Paris with European States on addressing the situation on the Mediterranean Sea, and preventing loss of life in Libya, are welcome and much-needed. The violence in Tripoli in recent weeks has made the situation more desperate than ever, and the...
Survey highlights risks faced by vulnerable Venezuelans on the move
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. A survey of Venezuelans who have fled their country has found that half (50.2 per...
Half of Venezuelans on the move face high risks in their journey to safety
A UNHCR survey finds that half of Venezuelans who have fled are particularly vulnerable due to their age, health issues, or the choices they had to make to survive. By Olga Sarrado Mur in Maicao, Colombia Recurring blackouts in the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo took a...
Saving lives at the world’s largest refugee camp
UNHCR and its partners provide round-the-clock emergency health care for Rohingya refugees in south-eastern Bangladesh. By Iffath Yeasmine in Kutupalong refugee settlement, Bangladesh In a plastic-roofed shack at the world’s largest refugee settlement, Rajuma went...