UNHCR forced to cut U.S.-related programs for refugees and migrants
Scoop: The cuts result from Trump abolishing Biden-era efforts to save lives through legal U.S. immigration options.
Migrants and Refugees
Migrants, refugees, internally displaced people and asylum seekers all face challenges away from their home region or country. Migrants all move within a country or across a border. Refugees flee across a border and need international protection. Internally displaced people are forced or obliged to leave their homes, fleeing to somewhere else within their country. Asylum seekers ask for international protection; not all are recognized as refugees.
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UNHCR freezes US$300 million of suspended U.S. aid, impacts 600 staff
Scoop: The budget freeze is part of almost US$700 million the U.N. refugee agency already received from the United States.
UNRWA vows to keep up its work in Gaza as the Israeli ban takes effect
Other U.N. agencies that have been cited as potential replacements for UNRWA all agree it is irreplaceable.
U.N. refugee agency freezes hiring, cuts spending amid U.S. aid pause
Scoop: UNHCR's directors scrambled to tighten its budget because of the Trump administration's 90-day aid stoppage.
European court rules against Greece over 'systematic' anti-migration
The European Court of Human Rights' ruling could set a precedent as some nations seek stricter immigration controls.
Nine UNRWA staffers to be fired in connection to probe of Oct. 7 attacks
U.N. investigators found nine UNRWA staff members 'may have been involved' in Hamas' attacks on Israel last year.
For migrants, African land routes twice as deadly as Mediterranean
Extreme forms of violence, human rights violations and exploitation afflict those fleeing for safety by land and sea.
Global forced displacement rises to record 117.3 million people in 2023
The U.N. refugee agency’s report documents lives upended by persecution, conflict, violence and human rights violations.
IOM documents the challenges of people on move seeking better lives
Migrants are sending home a record amount of money, boosting the economies of the countries they left behind.
Disease, hunger, violence threaten millions of refugees in Africa
WHO warns disease and hunger are at alarming levels in the Congo, where almost 10 million people are on the move.
Biden signs U.S. spending bill with halt on UNRWA funds through 2025
The spending bill also has other 'key pro-Israel provisions' aimed at the U.N. and other international organizations.
Partial funding by Western nations restored to UNRWA for aid in Gaza
Several top donors including Australia, Sweden, Canada, and the E.U. resumed funding contingent on agency reforms.
IOM launches first charity drive for 'unprecedented' migration needs
Conflict, climate, environmental degradation and uneven development are major factors in the US$7.9B appeal.
United Nations seeks US$4.2 billion for people in Ukraine and refugees
Donors provided US$2.65 billion, or 67% of last year's U.N. appeal for US$3.9 billion to help people inside Ukraine.
Record 110 million worldwide uprooted by conflict and climate
Some 52% of all refugees and others who needed international protection came from Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine.
Deputy chief defeats boss to become next head of U.N. migration agency
Amy Pope will become the first woman to serve as director general of the International Organization for Migration.