UNHCR chief thanks United Arab Emirates for helping the forcibly displaced
News Stories, 25 November 2009
© UNHCR
High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres during his visit to the
United Arab Emirates.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, November 25 (UNHCR) – UN High Commissioner António Guterres has paid a brief visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he thanked the authorities for supporting UNHCR operations to assist forcibly displaced people around the world.
"I am very thankful for the support we are receiving from the UAE leadership and people, something that demonstrates the rich giving traditions that are well established in this country," Guterres told UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash during a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
He reiterated UNHCR's gratitude for the support of the UAE in helping the forcibly displaced during a meeting with Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, head of the UAE Red Crescent.
The United Arab Emirates is becoming a leading donor to UNHCR and has recently been invited to join the 20+ million club, UNHCR's informal forum for major donors.
During his time in Abu Dhabi, the High Commissioner also delivered a presentation at the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research on the comparative study, "The Right to Asylum between Islamic Shari'ah and International Refugee Law."
The book, co-sponsored by UNHCR and written by Cairo University law professor Ahmed Abu Al-Wafa, demonstrates the common content of asylum in Arab customs, Islamic Sharia'ah and international humanitarian law.
The High Commissioner also visited Qatar.
António Guterres, who joined UNHCR on June 15, 2005, is the UN refugee agency's 10th High Commissioner.
UNHCR chief meets Malian refugees in Burkina Faso
On 1 August, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres travelled to northern Burkina Faso with the United States' Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (BRPM), Anne Richard. In Damba camp, they met with Malian refugees who had fled northern Mali in the past six months to escape the ongoing conflict and political instability. To date, more than 250,000 Malian refugees have fled their homes and found refuge in neighbouring countries, including 107,000 in Burkina Faso alone. The UN refugee agency has only received one-third of the US$153 million it needs to provide life-saving assistance such as shelter, water, sanitation, health services, nutrition and protection to the refugees. UNHCR fears that the volatile political and humanitarian situation in Mali could lead to further outflows to neighbouring countries.
UNHCR chief meets Malian refugees in Burkina Faso
Angelina Jolie meets boat people in Malta, Lampedusa
Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie joined UNHCR chief António Guterres on the Italian island of Lampedusa, where they met with boat people who have fled unrest in North Africa.
More than 40,000 people, including refugees and asylum-seekers, have crossed the Mediterranean on overcrowded boats and descended on the small island since the beginning of the year.
The UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador flew to Lampedusa from Malta, which has also been a destination for people fleeing North Africa by boat.
Angelina Jolie meets boat people in Malta, Lampedusa
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visits Ecuador
Angelina Jolie, in Ecuador this past weekend, on her first field visit as the new Special Envoy of UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres.
In her previous role as a UN refugee agency Goodwill Ambassador, Jolie has conducted more than 40 field visits over the last decade. This is her third time in Ecuador - home to the largest refugee population in Latin America.
Ecuador currently hosts some 56,000 refugees and 21,000 asylum-seekers. It continues to receive 1,300 new applications for refugee status each month from people fleeing Colombia. Many live in remote and poor areas of the country close to the Colombian border.
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visits Ecuador
Enough
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