migrants

Asylum-seekers and migrants have been transiting through Belarus in order to reach the European Union.
UNDP

UN agencies shocked by deaths near Belarus-Poland border 

21 September 2021
Migrants and Refugees

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and migration agency IOM, called on Tuesday for an immediate investigation into the deaths of four people near the border between Poland and Belarus, due to causes yet to be determined.  

Djibouti is a favoured destination for migrants and refugees from countries in the region, notably Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia.
OIM/Alexander Bee

Violence against smuggled migrants widespread, but justice is lacking: UN report

28 June 2021
Migrants and Refugees

Migrants smuggled across borders are often subjected to extreme violence, torture, rape and kidnapping, whether in transit or in captivity, but authorities take little action to address these offences, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a report published on Monday. 

Psychologists are supporting vulnerable teenagers across eastern Ukraine as the COVID-19 lockdown takes its toll on their mental health.
© UNICEF/Aleksey Filippov

News in Brief 4 March 2021

4 March 2021
News in Brief
  • Mental health alert for 330 million kids in COVID lockdown: UNICEF
  • Suspicion of Muslims at epidemic proportions, Human Rights Council hears
  • Migrants drown after being forced into the sea off Djibouti: IOM 
Audio -
3'23"
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
Human Rights

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. 

Sudanese women walk in a safe zone in Um Baru, North Darfur. (file)
UNAMID/Hamid Abdulsalam

News in Brief 22 January 2021

22 January 2021
News in Brief
  • Guterres hails entry into force of treaty seeking nuclear weapons ban 
  • Darfur’s health centres ‘unable to cope’ with intercommunal violence 
  • Migrants need fair access to COVID-19 vaccine, say UN Special Rapporteurs 
Audio -
3'9"
A migrant at what remains of the Lipa Emergency Tent Camp in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, after it was destroyed in a fire.
IOM 2020/Ervin Causevic

On EU’s doorstep, UN raises alarm for thousands of young migrants sleeping rough 

6 January 2021
Interviews

Well over 2,500 migrants and refugees have been forced to sleep rough in Bosnia-Herzegovina for several weeks – on the European Union’s doorstep – despite the fact that suitable sheltered accommodation is available. 

In an interview with UN News’s Daniel Johnson, Peter Auweraert, chief of mission in Bosnia for the UN Migration Agency IOM, describes the difficulties of trying to find a quick solution to the urgent problem. 

Audio -
10'45"
A refugee from Tigray waits in line with her baby to receive food in the Um Rakuba refugee settlement in Sudan.
WFP/Arete/Joost Bastmeijer

News in Brief 5 January 2021

5 January 2021
News in Brief
  • UNHCR relocates first Ethiopian refugees to new site in Sudan
  • UN appeals to spoilers in Central African Republic election to respect poll results
  • Mounting concern for Bosnia’s migrants left in freezing conditions
Audio -
3'37"
A 33-year-old man from Afghanistan, pictured with his family on the Greek island of Lesvos, is hoping to be relocated to Germany.
© UNICEF/Canaj Magnum Photos

The virus that shut down the world: The plight of refugees and migrants

29 December 2020
Migrants and Refugees

In part four of our review of the global impact of COVID-19, UN News considers the new challenges faced by refugees and migrants during 2020; from a heightened risk of catching the COVID-19 virus in crowded camps, to being stranded due to travel restrictions, and becoming the targets of criminal gangs.

Migrants walking at what remains of the Lipa Emergency Tent Camp in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, after it was destroyed in a fire.
IOM 2020/Ervin Causevic

News in Brief 28 December 2020

28 December 2020
News in Brief
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina: Migrant lives at ‘immediate risk’, warn UN agencies 
  • UN peacekeepers patrol polling stations during CAR elections 
  • World must prepare for the next pandemic, UN urges  
Audio -
2'30"
A migrant at what remains of the Lipa Emergency Tent Camp in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, after it was destroyed in a fire.
IOM 2020/Ervin Causevic

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Migrant lives at ‘immediate risk’, warn UN agencies

28 December 2020
Migrants and Refugees

United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners have called on authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to act urgently to help hundreds of migrants, stranded and without shelter, amid freezing winter temperatures.