UNHCR at 70: proud of our work but we cannot celebrate just yet
On 14 December, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will be 70 years old. For an organization that should have ceased to exist after three years, it is an uncomfortable birthday that we are not in the mood to celebrate. As a shattered world...
Forced displacement passes 80 million by mid-2020 as COVID-19 tests refugee protection globally
While a full picture for 2020 is yet to be established, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, estimates that global forced displacement surpassed 80 million at mid-year, according to a report on trends in global forced displacement released today in Geneva. At the beginning...
UN High Commissioner for Refugees warns of grave consequences if world looks away from Afghanistan, reiterates importance of finding solutions to Afghan displacement
At the conclusion of a five-day visit to Afghanistan, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has urged the international community to remain committed to the country at this critical juncture, and called for greater support for Afghan refugees,...
75,000 children in Iran to gain nationality under new law
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s move to give nationality to thousands of children born to Iranian mothers and non-Iranian fathers. The first children, out of some 10,000 children whose citizenship applications...
Refugee sports coach and youth counsellor honored at regional 2020 Nansen Refugee Award virtual ceremony
TEHRAN – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, jointly with the Embassy of Switzerland and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in the Islamic Republic of Iran, today held a ceremony to present Ms. Rozma Ghafouri with the Nansen Refugee Award for Asia region. Rozma, a refugee who fled...
UNHCR cash grants provide a lifeline to thousands of refugees in Iran
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has stepped up its cash assistance to support thousands of extremely vulnerable refugees whose livelihoods have been severely impacted by the continuing coronavirus pandemic in the Islamic Republic of Iran. But further funding is needed...
Afghan sports coach helps young refugees find a path to school in Iran
Football coach and youth counsellor Rozma Ghafouri is the regional winner for Asia for UNHCR’s annual Nansen Refugee Award for her work empowering Afghan refugee girls.
Nansen Refugee Award celebrates Afghan sports coach and youth counsellor in Iran as winner for the Asia region
UNHCR Report: Coronavirus a dire threat to refugee education – half of the world’s refugee children out of school.
In a report released today, titled “Coming Together for Refugee Education,” UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, predicts that unless immediate and bold action is taken by the international community to beat back the catastrophic effects of COVID-19 on refugee education, the potential of millions of young refugees living in some […]