• Will Israel try to force Gaza’s population into Egypt?

    Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency, warned Wednesday that pushing Gazans across the frontier would be "extremely destabilizing for Egypt". "It's very important to insist that this evacuation of people beyond (the border) must not be promoted, must not be advanced, forced," the UNHCR chief told journalists in...
  • More than 2,500 migrants dead or missing in Mediterranean in 2023: UN

    The land journey from sub-Saharan African countries, where many of the migrants hail from, to departure points on the Tunisian and Libyan coasts "remains one of the world's most dangerous," Ruven Menikdiwela, director of the UNHCR New York office, said. The migrants and refugees "risk death and gross human rights violations...
  • Fund shortage forces UN body to slash aid for Syrian refugees

    AMMAN, JORDAN - The United Nations' World Food Program has announced it would reduce cash assistance to nearly 120,000 Syrian refugees in Jordanian camps, saying the move was "unavoidable as funds run precariously low". The UN logs about 650,000 Syrians in Jordan who fled their native country since war broke out...
  • Over 430,000 people have fled homes in Sudan, says UN

    The fighting in Sudan has caused over 330,000 people to flee their homes within the country, with over 100,000 others escaping over the borders, the United Nations said. UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, is estimating that over 800,000 people could potentially flee to neighboring countries as the conflict continues in...
  • UNHCR urges more support for Turkey, Syria earthquake survivors

    ISTANBUL, TURKEY - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) president Filippo Grandi concluded a five-day visit to earthquake-devastated areas of Syria and Turkey. He visited survivors, affected people and humanitarian staff working at the ground. The earthquake has claimed 54,000 lives in the two countries and caused massive destruction...
  • UN calls for resettlement of quake-hit Syrian refugees from Turkey

    "Many refugees who fled to Turkey in search of safety and protection have now faced the trauma of loss and displacement once again -- losing their homes and livelihoods," the UN's International Organization for Migration and the UN refugee agency UNHCR said in a joint statement. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake on...
  • Two dead, 200 rescued in Lebanon migrant boat sinking: army

    On Twitter, UNIFIL confirmed it was assisting the Lebanese Navy "in search and rescue operation at sea between Beirut & Tripoli where a boat in distress with a large number of people on board was found."
  • IFC, UNHCR to jointly boost private sector engagement for refugees, host communities

    GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Friday announced a joint initiative to create inclusive economic opportunities that will benefit refugees and their host communities. The initiative aims to mobilize private sector projects over the next five years to demonstrate the viability of...
  • UNHCR chief urges world to help Lebanon’s most vulnerable

    Appealing to the international community to help the country as it faces 'one of its hardest moments', UNHCR chief said that Lebanon hosts 'one of the largest refugee populations per capita in the world' and that it needs support. He spoke at the end of a three-day visit to Beirut.
  • Iran rapper Toomaj Salehi could face death penalty: Judiciary

    Tehran, Iran---An Iranian rapper who expressed support for anti-regime protests is charged with "corruption on earth" and could face the death penalty, judicial authorities confirmed on Sunday. A US-based rights group had tweeted on Saturday that Toomaj Salehi's trial had begun "without a lawyer of his choice", and his family...
  • Protest-hit Iran launches strikes that kill 13 in Iraqi Kurdistan

    The September 16 death of Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, 22, while in the custody of Iran's morality police has sparked a major wave of protests and a crackdown that has left dozens of demonstrators dead. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has accused the Iraq-based Kurdish groups of "attacking and infiltrating...
  • Global Islamic Refugee Fund launched, seeks to raise $400m

    The funds are scheduled to be deposited in a trust account to finance programs as per the needs of refugees and their host communities in the member countries of the Islamic Development Bank.
  • Lebanon migrant ship death toll rises to 94

    The toll has repeatedly ratcheted higher since the first bodies were found on Thursday. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, described the shipwreck as a "heart-wrenching tragedy".
  • UN says six Syrians die in attempt to reach Italy

    More than thirty people attempted the crossing on the vessel, with many of the survivors in an "extremely serious" state of health according to UNHCR.
  • Lebanese struggle to find bread due to shortage of wheat

    In bankrupt Lebanon, Khalil Mansour has to queue for hours every day just to buy bread for his family and some days he can't afford any.
  • EU braces for migrants spurred by food crisis

    The EU must brace for new waves of migrants forced to uproot because of the food crisis aggravated by the war in Ukraine, the bloc's border agency chief warned Monday. While Ukrainian refugees were being handled well, "we have to prepare also for refugees coming from other areas because of...
  • Lebanon tells military to probe deadly migrant boat capsize

    Families have reported at least 23 still missing, all women and children while Lebanese govt asked armed forces to investigate the deadly boat capsize.
  • Number of Italy bound under-18 Tunisian migrants quadruples in four years

    A record number of irregular migrants under 18 years old reached Italy from Tunisia last year, more than quadrupling in four years, a rights group said Wednesday. Tunisia has become a major conduit for migrants seeking to reach European shores, particularly the Italian island of Lampedusa, just 130 kilometers (80...
  • UNHCR partners with Qatari climber for refugee welfare

    The UNHCR announced the partnership with Qatari athlete Sheikha Asma Al-Thani in a statement on its official website.
  • Qatar Charity signs $500k UNHCR deal to support Yemen refugees

    After more than six years of the conflict in Yemen, it remains the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with over 20 million people in need of aid.
  • Kuwait and UNHCR agreement to provide $2 million aid to Yemen

    It is also meant to provide basic building materials for temporary shelters, to rehabilitate and improve sites' and water sources infrastructure
  • UNHCR, UNICEF hail Korea’s aid for refugee rehab programs in Iran

    South Korea's $2.5 million aid for programs supporting Afghan refugees in Iran has been hailed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UNICEF. Iranian media reports said that South Korea's Ambassador to Iran Yun Kahghyeon on Tuesday signed an agreement of cooperation with the two UN agencies in the...
  • RewirEd Summit concluded at Expo 2020 Dubai

    The RewirEd Summit sponsored by Etihad Airways and Hettich in Expo 2020 Dubai concluded yesterday with a series of major announcements and program launched to transform the worldwide education system
  • Yemen war will have killed 377,000 by year’s end: UN

    Most of those killed by the war's indirect effects were "young children who are especially vulnerable to under- and malnutrition."
  • Global displacement from war, crises doubles in a decade: UN

    Global displacement figures swelled by around 3 million in 2020  Only 34,400 vulnerable refugees have resettled in third countries last year, the lowest level in 20 years Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the number of people fleeing war and persecution continued rising last year, with global displacement climbing to over 82...
  • UNHCR asks countries to share refugee burden, not externalize it

    On the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, UNHCR has urged bigger economies against passing the refugee burden down to smaller countries Developed countries are host to only 15 percent of the world’s refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has urged countries across the world not to...