UNHCR is concerned about a rising numbers of deaths in the Indian Ocean involving people fleeing their countries for safety and better lives elsewhere. This includes many Rohingya from Myanmar.
Already in 2013, several thousand people are believed to have boarded smuggler’s boats in the Bay of Bengal, among them Rohingya from Rakhine state or from Bangladesh’s refugee camps and makeshift sites. Most are men, but there are also increasing reports of women and children on these often-rickety boats making the journey southwards. We estimate that of the 13,000 people who left on smugglers’ boats in 2012, close to 500 died at sea when their boats broke down or capsized. While UNHCR is still gathering data from 2012 on deaths at sea, it is clear that the Indian Ocean has become for people fleeing their countries one of the deadliest stretches of water in the world.Read more<
MIDYAT, TURKEY — The bright voices of children at play echoed off the ancient walls of Mor Hanonyo last week, breaking centuries of stillness in this 1,600-year-old Syriac Orthodox monastery outside Mardin in southeastern Turkey. Little boys skipped around the monastery courtyard zipped up in quilted winter jackets, while their elders huddled indoors and lamented the violence and mayhem that have forced them to flee their homes in Syria.Read more<
The International Criminal Court (ICC) should take on the cases of “very high officials” who have perpetrated human rights violations in Syria, according to Carla del Ponte, a member of a special United Nations Commission of Inquiry (CoI).Read more<
A United Nations independent panel investigating human rights violations in Syria today called for urgent action to ensure justice for the crimes committed, adding that it will submit a list of names next month of those believed to be most responsible for the atrocities.Read more<
Nancy Lindborg, USAID Assistant Administrator, remarks in the 7th meeting of the at the UN Office at Geneva 19 February
I wish to thank the government of Switzerland, the United Nations, the European Union, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for hosting this event. Thank you to the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, for your leadership. We deeply regret that the Syrian Opposition Coalition and its Assistance Coordination Unit were not able to participate in this forum, as they are a vital link to the provision of humanitarian aid to the millions of Syrians in need.Read more<
When I arrived at Shah Jalal International Airport in Dhaka on a recent trip, I could not help but notice the hundreds of Bangladeshi migrants returning from abroad, clutching their many over-packed bags – no doubt filled with gifts for relatives. Their look of pride at having found prosperity was hard to miss.Read more<
A roundup of advice from our panel of experts on the importance of communication in aid work and how to get it rightRead more<
Between March 2011 and July 2012, more than 140,000 Syrians entered into Jordan looking for safety.1 By the beginning of August 2012, around 15,000 of these Syrian refugees were hosted in the transit facilities of Ramtha and the tented camp of Za’atari (Mafraq), while the vast majority were scattered within the local host community.2 With no improvements in Syria’s security situation, Syrians steadily continue to arrive in Jordan.Read more<
"The situation in Syria is nothing short of catastrophic," announced ICRC director of operations Pierre Krähenbühl after a four-day visit to the country. Civilians are being killed and injured. Millions have been displaced and thousands have gone missing or been arrested.Read more<
Top United Nations officials today highlighted the need for the Security Council to act with a unified voice to protect innocent lives, noting that civilians, in Syria and elsewhere, remain subject to unacceptable threats to life and dignity in conflict zones.Read more<
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