A warm Austrian welcome for refugees
There wasn’t much time to think when the first call for help came back in early September. All the Austrians knew was that they had to act fast. Thousands of refugees were crossing the border from Hungary into Austria, many of whom had abandoned their homes in...
Refugees themselves, Iraqis volunteer to help others reach safety in Germany
SALZBURG, Austria, Oct 12 (UNHCR)—Childhood friends Hussein and Jaffa fled war ravaged Iraq together, crossing seven borders and the Aegean Sea to seek refuge in Europe. As they seek asylum in Austria, they decided to help those following in their tracks. Donning...
First group of asylum seekers relocated from Italy to Sweden
ROME, Italy, Oct 9 (UNHCR)—A first group of 19 asylum seekers was relocated from Italy to Sweden today under an EU relocation scheme. The asylum seekers who arrived in Sicily by boat over the last few weeks were registered in Lampedusa and accepted to take part in the...
UNHCR head Guterres urges massive EU response to help Greece attend to refugees
GENEVA, Oct 9 (UNHCR)—UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres today appealed to the European Union to provide “massive support” to Greece to meet the needs of up to 6,000 refugees arriving each day as winter looms across Europe. He stressed that...
Fishing for an Education
Yida, a town surrounded by wetlands in a remote part of South Sudan, sits just 12 kilometres from the border and is home to nearly 70,000 refugees escaping conflict in Sudan. At the same time, intense fighting between opposition and government troops in South Sudan...
UNHCR’s Türk warns against growing politicization of refugee and asylum matters
GENEVA, Oct 8 (UNHCR)—UNHCR’s top International Protection expert warned today of growing risks to people fleeing war and persecution, and said a renewed spirit of commitment from governments worldwide to the core human rights and rule of law principles on which...
UN High Commissioner calls for renewed international focus on Afghanistan
GENEVA, Oct 6 (UNHCR)—UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres today appealed to the international community to refocus its attention on Afghanistan, warning that it would be dangerous to ignore the country, and praised Iran and Pakistan for hosting so many...
Guterres says UNHCR and partners struggle to meet humanitarian needs
GENEVA, Oct 5 (UNHCR)—The global refugee crisis is so great that the UN refugee agency and other agencies are struggling to respond to and meet all the humanitarian needs they face. That was the bleak message of UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres,...