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Feature: Homecoming marks end of odyssey for Colombian refugees
21 Jan 2004 After years in exile, 84 Colombian refugees recently sailed home from Jaqué, Panama, to Juradó, Colombia, in a return operation monitored by the UN refugee agency. In addition to repatriation and rehabilitation assistance, the returnees will also need help reintegrating into their communities, said UNHCR. -
Venezuelan border town kicks off refugee awareness campaign
7 Jan 2004 Displaced Colombians in Ureña recently joined their Venezuelan hosts in a football tournament to kick off a campaign to inform potential asylum seekers of their rights and obligations. -
Pakistan needs laws to better protect refugees, says Chief Justice
26 Dec 2003 The Chief Justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court, Sheikh Riaz Ahmed, has told judicial officers at a UNHCR workshop that while the country has been supportive towards refugees, domestic laws on refugee issues lag behind its international obligations. -
UNHCR condemns attacks on Colombian women
24 Dec 2003 UNHCR has expressed deep concern over continuing attacks against women human rights activists in Colombia, including a recent break-in at the office of a women's organisation for the internally displaced which works closely with the UN refugee agency. -
Afghanistan needs educated refugee youth, urges leader at UNHCR workshop
18 Dec 2003 The UN refugee agency has held a workshop for Afghan refugee students on a scholarship initiative funded by the German government in Pakistan. This event sets the stage for more communication on educational and developmental issues between the students and their homeland. -
Security vital for repatriation, say Afghan, Pakistani officials
3 Dec 2003 Security in Afghanistan was a key issue as officials from Afghanistan and Pakistan met with senior UNHCR staff in a regular session of a tripartite commission on repatriation. They also discussed voter registration for Afghan refugees in Pakistan ahead of the Afghan elections next year. -
Feature: Lone UNHCR officer watches over 34,000 Afghan refugees
3 Dec 2003 UNHCR has a limited presence in the old camps in the remote north of Pakistan's Balochistan province, but refugees there - some of whom have been there for 24 years - can count on field officer Aurangzaib Khan as a trusted mediator and problem-solver. -
UNHCR banks on breaking blockade on Colombian river
26 Nov 2003 For the first time in seven years, a convoy of ships co-sponsored by the UN refugee agency has sailed down the Atrato river in western Colombia, bringing visibility and basic foodstuff to isolated communities suffering from an economic blockade imposed by armed groups. -
Afghan refugees get extra help for Eid and winter
19 Nov 2003 The UN refugee agency is distributing additional food and household items to some refugee camps in Pakistan with the approach of the traditional Eid celebrations. UNHCR is also giving out fuel, blankets and quilts to help Afghan refugees cope with the coming winter.