Treacherous Crossings
Most refugees undertake a perilous journey to escape persecution, violence or death. But escape by sea is particularly dangerous as people confront unpredictable weather, unsafe and over-crowded vessels, unscrupulous human traffickers and smugglers. And even if they...Angelina Jolie Pitt on World Refugee Day 2015
“We are here for a simple reason: This region is at the epicentre of a global crisis. Nearly 60 million people are displaced from their homes. That is one in every 122 people on our planet. Our world has never been richer or healthier or more advanced. Yet never...
Millions mark World Refugee Day at events across the globe
GENEVA, June 20 (UNHCR)—Across the world millions marked World Refugee Day on Saturday with joyful and celebratory events in sharp contrast to gloomy statistics showing spiraling global conflict and persecution have led to record numbers of people fleeing their homes....
Kristin Davis gets to know Fiona. #WorldRefugeeDay: Tailor. Farmer. Niece.
Actress Kristin Davis travelled with UNHCR to Uganda to meet refugees from South Sudan. She travelled to Rhino Base Camp settlement, Nguara in northern Uganda. Kristin met Fiona Taba, an 18 year-old woman who is a talented tailor and dreams of being a fashion...
Worldwide displacement hits all-time high as war and persecution increase
GENEVA, June 18 (UNHCR)—Wars, conflict and persecution have forced more people than at any other time since records began to flee their homes and seek refuge and safety elsewhere, according to a new report from the UN refugee agency. UNHCR’s annual Global Trends...
Yazidi Women Welcomed Back to the Faith
DOHUK, Iraq—Leila, a 20-year-old Yazidi woman who was taken captive by militants and forced to convert to Islam, escaped in March and has since been reunited with her family. Her story would have been impossible just a few months ago, but she is now one of hundreds of...
Four Generations on the Run
As the ferry anchors near Kagunga village, on the Tanzanian shores of Lake Tanganyika, 60-year-old Foibe Ndikumana sits patiently on the sand, yearning to hear her name called. She is eager to leave behind the crowded lakefront village and the haunting memories of...