Opened on 28 July 2012 and still home to 80,000 people, Za鈥檃tari refugee camp has become a symbol of the long-running Syrian refugee crisis. Read the full story from .
Fatema is one of 80 players who took part in the recent inaugural UNITY EURO Cup, an eight-team tournament organised by UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, at the Colovray Stadium in Nyon, Switzerland. As a former striker for the Afghan national women鈥檚 team, she played 15 games and scored five goals for her country before fleeing in the aftermath of the Taliban鈥檚 takeover in 2021. Each team consisted of a mix of refugee and national amateur players, both female and male.
Most refugees from Ukraine hope to return home as soon as possible but around two-thirds expect to stay in their host countries until hostilities subside and the security situation improves, according to a new by . The survey showed that 16 percent of Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia were planning to return to Ukraine in the coming two months, with 15 percent of those planning to stay temporarily to visit family, get supplies or help relatives evacuate.
The war changed everything for Ukraine鈥檚 children, robbing them of stability, safety, their friends. As the fighting moved closer to civilian populations, life for many children moved underground. Relatively protected from the physical horrors unfolding above their heads, children who sought shelter below struggled to piece together some semblance of normalcy. brings us the stories of five children whose lives have been upended by the war.
Food can be a powerful tool for integration, but for many people who have had to flee, food is also a constant concern. According to a recent survey by , 48 per cent of refugees in the Americas reported eating only twice a day, while 6 per cent said they were able to eat only one meal a day. In a new , refugees and displaced people in the Americas and the Caribbean share their stories and the flavours of home 鈥 past and present. Each recipe in the book combines flavours from displaced people鈥檚 countries of origin and their new homes.
Khadijah Afash is among the minority of female camp managers in north-west Syria. When she first fled from Anadan to Afrin in 2020 the fields were empty, and many families resorted to sleeping on the floor. Witnessing these scenes of hardship, Khadijah took it upon herself to establish a camp. Her determination came as no surprise to her peers; they were well aware of her reputation back in Anadan as the 鈥淚ron Woman.鈥 Before being displaced, Khadijah was a teacher and school principal in Anadan. In her spare time, she taught illiterate women and children. "They tell me that as a woman I should stay on the margin. But I say as a woman I will be active, and I will raise a generation.鈥
Francis Mb茅r茅 never thought he would enjoy life again after what he endured in his home country, the Central African Republic. But nine years after fleeing brutal attacks, he proudly parades the streets of his adopted hometown, Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of the Congo, with his friends and fellow 鈥渟apeurs.鈥 The sapeurs are followers of a fashion and cultural movement known as La Sape 鈥 the Society of Ambiance Makers and Elegant People (Soci茅t茅 des Ambianceurs et des Personnes 脡l茅gantes in French) 鈥 that gained popularity in the 1960s in Brazzaville and Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The movement was inspired by 19th century French dandyism. Francis strikes a pose outside his home, joined by his son Se虂verin and his friend Cre虁che, aka Parabola.
When fireworks sound like gunfire. When sirens sound like screaming. When slamming doors sound like dropping bombs. Refugees need solidarity and love to help heal the scars of war.
During the first quarter of 2022, more than 18,000 refugees and migrants crossed the Mediterranean to reach Europe. Altogether, 2.3 million have taken this same journey in the past eight years. Between 2014 and 2021, over 24,400 people have lost their lives or gone missing trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. Many others have suffered unspeakable violations of their human rights - at a scale likely higher and more severe than the already alarming estimates. This is a widespread, longstanding and largely overlooked tragedy.
Conflict and crisis exact a massive toll on women and girls. shares the stories of five women - how their lives changed since fleeing Ukraine and how their new lives in Moldova unfold.
鈥淲hen I meet with children, I just see that there's always that glimpse of hope in their eyes and that drive to make a future for themselves.鈥
Bo Viktor Nylund has always been drawn to complex, difficult places. As the Representative of UNICEF in Syria, he is a passionate advocate for the rights of children growing up in one of the world鈥檚 most thorny and protracted crises. Children continue to bear the brunt of Syria鈥檚 decade-old conflict, with millions of childhoods shattered through destruction, displacement, and death. Meanwhile, thousands of children of Islamic State fighters, some as young as 12, are being held indefinitely in camps in the country鈥檚 north. In this episode, Bo Viktor Nylund reflects on their grim plight and his determination to do right by every Syrian child hoping for a better future through education.
鈥淭he situation of the children who have been affiliated with Islamic State is basically a time bomb in the making.鈥
Photo: 漏UNICEF/Syria/ Delil Souleiman
According to new data from , the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide rose towards 90 million by the end of 2021, propelled by new waves of violence or conflict in countries including Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the DR Congo. In addition, the war in Ukraine has displaced 8 million within the country this year, and more than 6 million refugee movements from Ukraine have been registered. At over 1 per cent of the global population, the overall figure is equivalent to the 14th most populous country in the world.
The Salgueiro samba school, whose theme for this year鈥檚 parade was the fight against racism, invited 20 refugees as part of a partnership with , to promote integration of refugees into the country. Refugees from Syria, Venezuela, Angola and DR Congo took part in perhaps the most Brazilian of all events 鈥 the all-night-explosion of music, drumming, and dancing that is Rio鈥檚 annual Carnival parade. Brazil is home to refugees from 88 countries and has received an estimated 325,000 refugees and migrants from Venezuela, in recent years.
and TikTok launched a music campaign promoting solidarity with refugees globally. calls on creators to spread a message for safe and legal access to asylum for all.
Nataliia, a human rights officer working with the . She listens to the stories of internally displaced persons in Uzhhorod, in Ukraine鈥檚 west. One of her key jobs now is to gather first-hand information on allegations of international human rights abuses and humanitarian law violations resulting from the armed attack of the Russian Federation on Ukraine. She talks to people on the ground, listens to their stories and documents what has happened to them or their loved ones, looking to help verify civilian casualty incidents.