Tag: UNHCR

UNHCR commits to climate action in Africa to protect displaced populations and foster resilience

Stuart Mitchell

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, reaffirms its dedication to climate action as a central element of its mission to address displacement and provide protection to vulnerable populations in Africa. UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, Raouf Mazou, and Director General and Special Representative of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi, travelled to Kenya’s Dadaab refugee complex in advance of this week’s Africa Climate Summit. “UNHCR recognizes the unique vulnerabilities faced by forcibly displaced populations and host communities in Africa. We must act now to ensure…

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Geneva summit garners action to tackle gender discriminatory nationality laws

Stuart Mitchell

Leaders from governments, civil society and United Nations agencies convened in Geneva recently at a Global Summit on Gender Equality in Nationality Laws, calling for expedited action to end gender-based discrimination in nationality laws that deny people the equal right to acquire and confer nationality on their children and spouses.  Convened by the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, UNICEF, and UN Women, the Global Summit heard from Eswatini, Iraq and Kiribati states, which reaffirmed their commitment to achieve gender equality in their nationality laws. …

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UNHCR and Platon launch collaboration to bring refugee voices, aspirations into focus

Stuart Mitchell

Portrait of a Stranger, a creative multimedia collaboration between world-renowned photographer and storyteller Platon, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, will debuted in March in partnership with the Movies That Matter International Human Rights Film Festival in The Hague, Netherlands.  The 18-minute film features interviews and portraits of over 20 refugees who fled conflict and persecution in various parts of the world, exploring the universal desire to be free, safe, respected and valued, and to belong. Over the last year, UNHCR and Platon interviewed a diverse group of refugees ranging…

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UNHCR partners with Arm to unleash tech to help transform refugees’ lives 

Stuart Mitchell

In an increasingly volatile, uncertain and complex world, refugees and forcibly displaced families around the world face significant challenges, from a lack of access to health, education and support services to the risk of a changing climate. To solve these complex displacement challenges, Cambridge-headquartered technology leader Arm and UK for UNHCR have announced a new two-year partnership agreement. Arm will provide technical and capacity-building support to UNHCR’s Innovation Service, in addition to a generous grant. Hovig Etyemezian, UNHCR’s Innovation Service Director, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Arm to…

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UNHCR’s Innovation Fund awards projects designed by refugees for refugees

Stuart Mitchell

A new Refugee-led Innovation Fund from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has awarded 17 organizations hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve the lives of displaced people and host communities. From an initiative equipping stateless people in Italy with the advocacy skills they need to change the narrative on statelessness, to a seed bank and community garden system supporting sustainable food security and livelihoods in Uganda, these innovative projects will make lasting positive change. “This is an important moment for UNHCR and the wider humanitarian community. People who are forced…

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