Overview
The Emergency Response Team is a dedicated, highly trained group
of UNHCR staff who provide a fast and effective response to any
crisis, anywhere in the world. The team works in the toughest
conditions, delivering life-saving essentials like food, water,
shelter and healthcare.
When a crisis strikes, the emergency response team is on the
ground, saving lives within 72 hours. We're often the first in and
the last out in an emergency, supporting the displaced at every
stage of their ordeal - be it an eruption of fighting causing tens
of thousands of people to flee their homes, or a massive earthquake
displacing hundreds of thousands.
News
SOMALIA: Gulf of Aden drownings raise concerns over smuggling and rescue-at-sea tradition - 15 April 2011
GENEVA, April 15 (UNHCR) –Refugee drownings in the Gulf of Aden this week have raised the UN refugee agency's concerns over the inhumane practices of smugglers and called into question the longstanding tradition of rescue at sea.
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LIBYA: Lack of funds threatening UNHCR's work in Libya, neighbouring countries - 15 April 2011
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 15 April 2011, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
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COTE D'IVOIRE: Côte d'Ivoire needs reconciliation for displaced people to return, says UNHCR - 15 April 2011
GENEVA, April 15 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency has expressed alarm at the living conditions of internally displaced people (IDPs) in western Côte d'Ivoire and called for reconciliation to allow them and Ivorian refugees in the region to return home.
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LIBYA: Hundreds of Libyan Berbers flee Western Mountains and head to Tunisia - 12 April 2011
GENEVA, April 12 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency reported Tuesday that more than 500 Libyans, mostly ethnic Berbers, have fled their homes in Libya's Western Mountains and sought shelter in the Dehiba area of south-east Tunisia over the past week.
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SOMALIA: Fighting in Somalia displaces some 33,000 people over past six weeks - 8 April 2011
GENEVA, April 8 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency said Friday that fighting in south and central Somalia between government forces and the Al-Shabaab militia has displaced about 33,000 people in the past six weeks.
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GENEVA: Angelina Jolie and UNHCR chief Guterres shocked at Mediterranean high seas tragedy - 6 April 2011
GENEVA, April 6 (UNHCR) – UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie expressed "deep shock" on Wednesday at the reported drownings of 213 people in rough waters some 60 kilometres off the southern coast of Italy.
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COLOMBIA: UNHCR works to find durable solutions for endangered Colombian tribe - 6 April 2011
SAN JOSE DEL GUAVIARE, Colombia, April 6 (UNHCR) – Most people forced to flee their homes believe that one day they will be able to return. But this no longer seems an option for most of Colombia's Jiw people and they have started looking at alternative solutions with the support of UNHCR and others.
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LIBYA: Angelina Jolie visits Tunisia-Libya border, urges support for Libya's displaced - 5 April 2011
RAS ADJIR, Tunisia, April 5 (UNHCR) – UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie on Tuesday travelled to the Tunisian-Libyan border to urge greater international support for people fleeing fighting in Libya.
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KENYA: UNHCR chief joins visit to Dadaab, expresses concern for Somali refugees - 4 April 2011
DADAAB, Kenya, April 4 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency and two sister organizations expressed deep concern at the weekend about the living conditions of more than 314,000 Somalis at a sprawling refugee complex in north-east Kenya.
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JAPAN: UNHCR shines a beacon of hope on a devastated corner of Japan - 1 April 2011
TOKYO, Japan, April 1 (UNHCR) – When Shinji Kubo joined UNHCR 18 years ago, he dreamed of helping refugees around the world. "I never thought I would be back in my hometown, helping my neighbours," said the senior external relations officer for the UN refugee agency's Tokyo office.
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LIBYA: UNHCR chief applauds Egypt, calls for humanitarian access to Libya - 1 April 2011
CAIRO, Egypt, April 1 (UNHCR) ¬- UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres has thanked Egypt for helping tens of thousands of people fleeing Libya and called on the international community to recognize the country's generosity with solidarity and support. He also expressed concern about the situation inside Libya and called for humanitarian access to those in need.
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