Migrants and Refugees

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert (left), UN Special Representative for Iraq and Deputy Representative, Irena Vojáčková-Sollorano, meet officials from the Sinjar security forces in January 2021.
UNAMI/Salar Brifkani

Transparency must rule Iraqi elections, ‘loyalties cannot be for sale’, Security Council hears

16 February 2021
Middle East

A deadly rocket attack on Monday night in Erbil drew condemnation from the UN envoy in Iraq, who told the Security Council on Tuesday that “such reckless attempts to inflame tensions pose grave threats” to the country’s security. 

UNHCR says that killings and kidnappings have continued in North Kivu in the DRC in 2021.
© UNHCR/Frederic Noy

Armed group atrocities creating havoc in eastern DR Congo: UN refugee agency

16 February 2021
Africa

Atrocities committed by armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have become part of a systematic pattern to disrupt lives, instill fear and create havoc, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday, expressing alarm over the ongoing situation. 

Migrants at the IOM Islam Qala Reception Centre. The Centre provided services to thousands of Afghan returnees daily, prior to the catastrophic fire on 13 February.
IOM/Nick Bishop

Fire at Afghan-Iranian border hits vital humanitarian assistance: UN migration agency

15 February 2021
Asia Pacific

A catastrophic fire on Saturday, at a border between Afghanistan and Iran has damaged an UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) reception centre, stalling services for Afghan migrants returning to their country. 

Shelters housing Rohingya refugees at the Unchiprang camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. (file photo)
UNICEF/Roger Lemoyne

Migrating online: The digital tools preparing refugees and migrants with an economic lifeline

15 February 2021
Global

Whilst the global economy has taken a battering during the COVID-19 pandemic, online commerce has thrived. A UN-supported initiative is helping refugees and migrants around the world to access the tools and customers they need to build their businesses and improve their livelihoods.

The health and well-being of millions of Venezuelan refugees and migrants is being threatened by COVID-19.
IOM/Muse Mohammed

UN chief welcomes Colombia’s ‘act of solidarity’ with 1.7 million Venezuelans

9 February 2021
Americas

The United Nations Secretary-General, on Monday, applauded the announcement by the President of Colombia that the country will provide temporary protection to all Venezuelans in its territory. 

Candelario enjoys reading and having a good conversation. He likes to receive visitors at home and talk about politics and stories from the past.
UN Costa Rica/Danilo Mora

FROM THE FIELD: Sharing migration stories across generations in Central America

6 February 2021
Americas

Two migrants, one young and one old, have been sharing their experiences of migrating to a small town in Costa Rica in Central America.

A young mother and her child, originally from Guatemala, crossed the border into the U.S. at the age of 13 with her older and younger sisters; they were eventually reunited with their mother after being apart for five years.
© UNICEF/Beth Murphy

US plan to reform asylum, reunite families, reflects ‘authentic humanitarian values’ 

3 February 2021
Americas

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has said it is “heartened” by the United States’ president’s signing of executive orders on Tuesday which aim to provide safety and solutions for those seeking asylum, on the grounds that they need protection from violence and persecution at home. 

Abdulmajeed and wife Halima, Sudanese refugees from Darfur, sit with their two daughters at home in Tripoli, Libya.
© UNHCR/Mohamed Alalem

Asylum seekers subject to systematic pushbacks at Europe’s borders, says UNHCR

28 January 2021
Europe

UN refugee agency, UNHCR, called on Thursday for an end to “systematic” expulsions and pushbacks of refugees and asylum-seekers at Europe’s land and sea borders.

Many migrants have lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe on board flimsy boats. Pictured here a group of migrants at sea. (file photo)
UNICEF/Alessio Romenzi

Italy failed to rescue over 200 migrants in 2013 Mediterranean disaster, UN rights body finds

27 January 2021
Europe

A UN rights committee said on Wednesday that Italy failed in its international obligations to protect the right to life of more than 200 migrants on board a vessel that sank in the Mediterranean Sea, in 2013. 

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix, in centre with sunglasses, visited Ménaka, Mali, where he met with the Governor, President of the Interim Authority, armed groups signatories to the peace agreement, civil society and the local commander, among otthers.
MINUSMA

Mali in transition: UN peacekeeping chief takes stock of political and security developments

22 January 2021
Africa

Against the backdrop of a rapidly deteriorating security situation in Mali and the wider Sahel region, the UN peacekeeping chief concluded a visit to the restive northwest African nation on Thursday.