The 1951 Refugee Convention ‘is as relevant today’
While the world has changed in the 65 years since the Convention was drawn up, UNHCR’s protection chief, Volker Türk, explains why it remains relevant today. GENEVA – The 1951 Refugee Convention is the cornerstone of refugee protection and the work of UNHCR, the UN...
UNHCR to governments: People fleeing war to be considered refugees
Faced with record displacement from war and conflict, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has this week moved to reinforce the global refugee protection regime by issuing new guidelines on dealing with people fleeing their country because of war. The guidelines aim to...
Somali refugee student proves it’s never too late to learn
For most of her life, Nawa watched as other children went to school. As a refugee, and a girl at that, she was told there was no place for her to learn in the classroom. That looked set to continue when she arrived in Malaysia, where refugees do not have access to...
Solidarity “essential” to refugee protection
GENEVA – With wars and violence uprooting record numbers of people worldwide, UNHCR’s international protection chief today called for a renewed spirit of multilateralism and solidarity to provide effective refugee protection and curb xenophobia. In a speech to the...
UNHCR Nansen Refugee Awarded
GENEVA – Greek volunteers Efi Latsoudi and Konstantinos Mitragas on behalf of the Hellenic Rescue Team(HRT) tonight became the latest in a long line of distinguished everyday heroes to receive UNHCR’s prestigious annual Nansen Refugee Award. Both winners of the UN...
Children in Calais in a world away from home
A centre for young refugees in Saint-Omer offers shelter and protection, as well as the chance to enjoy being children again. On a cloudy day in the northern French town of Saint-Omer, Ibrahim, from Darfur in Sudan, is tending to a crop of vegetables with eight other...
UNHCR welcomes Leaders support for refugees
UN Refugee Chief Filippo Grandi welcomes significant new backing from the UN Leaders’ Summit on Refugees to improve protection and solutions for the forcibly displaced. NEW YORK – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has welcomed the significant new support committed...
UN Summit commits to protect refugee, migrant rights
NEW YORK – At a high-level UN Summit in New York today, the governments of 193 countries adopted key commitments to enhance protection for millions of people who have been forcibly displaced and are otherwise on the move around the world. Amidst record levels of...