By: Motahareh Mohebi
“This is the season for exchanging greetings.”
While it is a common practice among organizations, companies, and institutions to send greetings to their colleagues at this time of year—and UNHCR is no exception—some of UNHCR’s past greetings, now preserved in the archives, are truly heartwarming. Among them is a message from Mr. Auguste Lindt, High Commissioner from 1956 to 1960, addressed to the newly arrived Hungarian refugees in Austria in 1956. It is both nicely and empathetically written.
It was not only officials who sent these kinds of messages to refugees; refugees also sent greetings to UNHCR. For instance, Cambodian refugees in Thailand sent a beautifully handwritten message to Mr. Poul Hartling, High Commissioner from 1978 to 1985, in 1980.
The UNHCR Records and Archives section wishes you all the best for 2025.
