Harry Leslie Smith’s son follows in his footsteps
John Smith is determined to carry on Harry Leslie Smith’s legacy of advocating for refugees In a previous story, UNHCR Canada wrote about Harry Leslie Smith, the 95-year-old social justice activist who was travelling the world advocating for refugees, his every...
From refugee to Rhodes scholar
Drawing on her past, a young Manitoban is changing future conversations about refugees in Canada When Annette Riziki’s mom heard that her daughter had received a Rhodes scholarship late last year, she danced around their Winnipeg living room, telling Annette, “I told...
Venezuelan outflow continues unabated, stands now at 3.4 million
Joint UNHCR-IOM press release Geneva, 19 February, 2019 – The number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela worldwide now stands at 3.4 million, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and IOM, the International Organization for Migration, announced today. According to...
Helping through hardship: Rebuilding lives in Yemen
How UNHCR is helping thousands struggling to survive in Yemen After intense fighting broke out in her home city of Hodeidah, Rahaf and her family were forced to seek safety in Aden, in southern Yemen. After a difficult two-day journey spent on the road, her family...
Ayman’s longstanding commitment to refugee service
After more than 25 years in the field, UNHCR’s Representative in Yemen remains motivated and inspired by resilient refugees Unfulfilled by his previous job working for a bank in Amman, Jordan, then 25-year-old Ayman Gharaibehtook a one-month UNHCR contract in Kuwait,...
Venezuela: Refugee faces of a country in crisis
More than three million Venezuelans are living outside of their country of origin—the largest outflow in Latin America’s recent history. Skyrocketing inflation, a lack of food, medicine and social services, and incidents of violence and insecurity have compelled many...
Critical needs for Syrian civilians in Rukban, solutions urgently needed
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. Over the past nine days UNHCR, the Refugee Agency, took part in one of the largest...
Less than 5 per cent of global refugee resettlement needs met last year
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. New data released by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency shows that despite record levels of...