From Syria to Sweden: Eiad´s perilous voyage across the Mediterranean
As Syria’s civil war intensified, Eiad Alasha knew he had to try and save his family from the bombings and the killings.
World Refugee Day 2015 – 20 June
Millions of families have fled their homes to escape war or human rights abuses. Millions of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers – who are also students, musicians, cooks, and so much more. Please get to know these remarkable individuals and introduce them to your friends.
Latvian aid worker helps refugees in Iraq
Liene Veide, a Latvian national currently working for UNHCR as a Public Information and External Relations Officer in Dohuk, Iraq, joined the United Nations in 2010.
Observations from UNHCR on Lithuanian law proposal on issuance and withdrawal of residence permits and protection status
UNHCR’s observations to the Lithuanian government’s proposed amendments to the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens.
Finland Contributes EUR 10 million to Refugee Situations Worldwide
UNHCR has received a significant contribution of EUR 10 million from Finland to support UNHCR’s work with refugees and internally displaced people in several refugee situations around the world.
Norway contributes with NOK 150 million to the refugee situation in Syria and the region
UNHCR thanks the Norwegian Government for their vital contribution of NOK 150 million (USD 18.3 million) to UNHCR’s Emergency and Reslience Response Operations in Syria and the region. In addition, UNHCR is grateful for the government’s pledge of NOK 40 million (USD 5.1 million) to protecting Eritrean and Syrian refugees from smuggling and trafficking across the Mediterranean.
Peteris’s dangerous journey: saving 2,000 lives in WWII
A woodpecker is working hard on one of the trees surrounding Peteris Jansons’s house on Gotland, Sweden’s largest island. Spring seems to have finally reached Scandinavia and Peteris, 92 years old and his wife Inga, 89, are preparing to celebrate their seventieth wedding anniversary in April. They met on this very island in 1943, when Peteris arrived by boat after fleeing from Latvia so as not to have to serve as a soldier in the German army, which at that time had occupied his country.
Observations from UNHCR on Lithuanian law proposal on access to asylum procedure
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has submitted our observations to the Lithuanian government’s proposed amendments to the Lithuanian Aliens Law. The proposal introduces restrictions on the access to apply for asylum in Lithuania, for instance regarding the court’s...
A Syrian refugee in Latvia: Bashar builds a new life in Riga
Bashar Yousef was living in Latvia as a student when the war in Syria broke out in 2011. Hearing all the news about the atrocities taking place in his home country led him to the conclusion that it was much safer to stay in Latvia.
‘Art for Social Change’: Positive experience in Latvia inspires Swede to coach young refugees in Norrköping
When Carl Biörsmark graduated from high school in the eighties in Norrköping, Sweden, he didn’t envisage that in 30 years he would become one of the first integration coaches in the country.
Lithuania donates to UNHCR to help Syrian refugees
As part of the international community’s emergency response to Syria, Lithuania has donated LTL 70,000 (USD 26,237) to UNHCR to assist and protect Syrian refugees.
Lithuania donates €50,000 to UNHCR to help people forced to flee their homes in Ukraine
At the end of December 2014, the Republic of Lithuania donated €50,000 to the UNHCR Internally Displaced People (IDPS) Operation in Ukraine. This donation is amongst the largest contributions Lithuania has made to UNHCR’s humitarian operations.