A papal messenger of climate action and 'hope, humility and humanity'
U.N. leaders hailed Pope Francis as a champion of the environment and tireless advocate of refugees and migrants.
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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Fallout deepens at U.N. and other organizations from 'brutal' aid cuts
From migrants to refugees, millions of lives and the organizations that help them are at risk from U.S. aid cuts.
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.
UNHCR freezes $300 million of suspended U.S. aid, impacts 600 staff
Scoop: The budget freeze is part of almost $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.
U.N. funding crisis spills into Lebanon; refugees face aid loss
The UNRWA funding crisis, following Israeli allegations, threatens basic aid to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
IOM launches first charity drive for 'unprecedented' migration needs
Conflict, climate, environmental degradation and uneven development are major factors in the $7.9 billion appeal.