Former IOC chief Rogge pledges more sport opportunities for refugees in Ethiopia
GAMBELLA, Ethiopia, May 8 (UNHCR) – Jacques Rogge, former president of the International Olympic Committee, has this week visited young South Sudanese refugees in western Ethiopia and pledged to help them play more sport. “Sport is a great peace factor. I...
Nepal Earthquake: Everything you need to know
The strongest earthquake to hit Nepal for 80 years On 25 April at 11:56 local time, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, creating large scale damage, many deaths and many more injuries. The epicenter of the earthquake was located 81 km northwest of the Nepali...
UNHCR flies in shelter materials for quake-displaced in Nepal
KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 7 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency has flown in shelter materials for some 34,000 earthquake survivors in Nepal, with more supplies on their way as the number of displaced people approaches 3 million. On Wednesday, a plane carrying 8,500 plastic...
UNHCR rushes plastic sheeting and solar-powered lamps to Nepal earthquake survivors
GENEVA, April 27 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency is sending thousands of plastic sheets and solar-powered lamps to people left homeless and without light by the devastating earthquake in Nepal. Saturday’s quake, recorded at 7.8 on the open-ended Richter scale,...
Fleeing Bullets, and then Mosquitoes
Agness and Flavia are close in age: between 18 and 24 months. Although they come from different families, they share a similar story. Their parents fled conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo several years ago and are now raising their children in Uganda’s...
UNHCR welcomes EU Mediterranean plans, but says more needs to be done
GENEVA, April 22 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency on Tuesday welcomed European plans to tackle the challenges of irregular migration in the Mediterranean, but said much more was needed after hundreds of refugees and migrants lost their lives on the high seas. In...
Tragedy Strikes Again on the Mediterranean
We’re on the edge of Europe. Beyond the sheer cliffs in front of us, the azure blue Mediterranean stretches out as far as the eye can see. Just yesterday, three boats were rescued a few miles from here, packed with hundreds of refugees fleeing war and persecution and...