Protection for refugees has been enshrined in international law for more than seven decades, but how much support is there today for those fleeing conflict and persecution? Why this matters Most people still support the right to seek asylum Resettlement numbers decrease massively Misinformation has not eroded public compassion The Refugee Convention marks 75 years…
Disembarking at an airport in Cameroon a few weeks ago, two Cameroonian women shook with fear. They had fled their country over a year before to seek asylum in the United States, but were summarily deported from the US to Equatorial Guinea, whose authorities sent them back to Cameroon. Both women had been previously granted…
Geneva — Barham Salih, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, launched the agency’s flagship Global Trends Report today, which reveals global forced displacement has decreased for the first time in a decade while remaining unacceptably high. In 2025, 5.4 million people escaped violence and persecution by fleeing to other countries. But the report showed that…
KABUL, Afghanistan — A truck carrying Afghan refugees returning from neighboring Pakistan overturned on a highway in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least 22 people and injuring about 36 others, most of them women and children, officials said. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. The…
The UN refugee agency’s (UNHCR) prestigious Nansen Award is shining a light on the people proving that compassion and solidarity with displaced communities remain strong – even in some of the most difficult places on earth. This year’s honourees include five remarkable laureates from Cameroon, Mexico, Ukraine, Iraq and Tajikistan, each recognised for their courage,…
By day, Sodaba Khinjani might help clean your teeth at the dentist’s office. Rabia Yaqobi might make your next meal. But after their work days, the Afghan refugees can be found on the pitch—forging their own path on the soccer pitch as part of the Houston Shine FC. Khinjani and Yaqobi are some of the…
Earlier this week, 10 countries recognised Palestinian statehood. With them, the number of UN member states recognising Palestine as a state have reached 157 out of 193. This means the vast majority of the world accepts the Palestinians have a state. And yet they continue to be treated as if they do not, with many…
Athens, Greece – Greece has drawn criticism and concern from rights groups and a United Nations office after passing what it considers to be the European Union’s strictest refugee deportation policy earlier this month. The law was put to use on September 12, when three Turkish citizens were convicted of illegal residence and handed stiff…
Herat, Afghanistan – At the Islam Qala border, the relentless wind carries stinging dust that clings to skin as temperatures soar to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), transforming the ground into a scorching furnace. Families huddle in narrow strips of shade, children protecting their faces with scarves as they await assistance. For many, this…
Thousands are being forced to go back to Afghanistan as Tehran tightens controls on immigration. For decades, tens of thousands of Afghans – who have fled war and poverty and sought a better future – have crossed into neighbouring Iran. Tehran has largely been lenient towards members of this community. But in recent years, Iranians…
