Pakistan: Islamabad: UNHCR organized a number of virtual activities to mark the annual World Refugee Day on 20 June. Among them was a special virtual event convened on 19 June to commemorate the courage and resilience of refugees and host communities responding to the COVID-19 pandemic “on the front lines”. Multimedia content specifically tailored to mark this day was featured and shared on social media channels.

Pakistan: Islamabad: A meeting of the Friends of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees was convened by the Ambassador of Germany to Pakistan, His Excellency Mr. Bernhard Schlagheck, on 24 June 2020. The following issues were discussed: UNHCR Pakistan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Refugee Forum, the Refugee Summit Islamabad, as well as the Support Platform for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees and its forthcoming Portfolio of Projects.

In Latin America which accounts for nearly half of the deaths and cases worldwide, the combination of the hurricane season in the north of Central America and COVID-19 is exacerbating humanitarian needs. To combat these emergencies, UNHCR in El Salvador, together with the joint response team provided aid to 1,150 communities and information to 1.2 million people, while in Guatemala, UNHCR delivered bulk beds and mattresses to shelters.

UNHCR’s Global Trends for 2019 reports that forced displacement now affects more than one per cent of humanity – 1 in every 97 people – and fewer and fewer are able to return home. COVID-19 exacerbates their situation even more, as it has an unprecedented global social and economic impact and is also affecting asylum systems. Under the theme ‘Everyone can make a difference, Every Action Counts’, UNHCR marked World Refugee Day on 20 June 2020.

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Burkina Faso: UNHCR airlifts emergency aid for displaced population: https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unhcr.org%2Fnews%2Fpress%2F2020%2F6%2F5eece1174%2Funhcr-airlifts-emergency-aid-for-displaced-population-in-burkina-faso.html&data=02%7C01%7Cbougma%40unhcr.org%7C33d63f142b494db25c9b08d816d93815%7Ce5c37981666441348a0c6543d2af80be%7C0%7C0%7C637284469483493820&sdata=4bcNlSdv6nhuM8%2Fz5CNWRSGx7ipC4N%2Fdi%2FlQtxnNY6E%3D&reserved=0

UNHCR has embarked in new cash-based interventions in 40 countries and scaled up its existing cash assistance in 25 operations. Cash assistance helps to bridge the gap between the initial socio-economic impact of the pandemic and the time it takes to install national and international safety nets.

UNHCR is active around the world to provide mental health and psychosocial support during COVID-19. In Bangladesh, UNHCR has trained 43 national psychologists by using inter-agency guidance. The psychologists subsequently trained over 500 community psychosocial volunteers, para counsellors and community health workers in the promotion of healthy coping and maintaining psychosocial wellbeing.

UNHCR operations worldwide report that refugees and other populations of concern are finding it harder to make ends meet. In Iraq, 89 per cent of the 1,500 respondents to a monitoring survey reported loss of employment or livelihoods due to COVID-19 crisis; similarly, in South Africa, 95 per cent of calls requesting UNHCR support are from families who were previously self-sufficient.

Since the end of April, UNHCR has delivered 1.8 million masks, 800,000 gloves, as well as personal protective equipment kits, hand sanitizers, gowns, goggles and thermometers to 12 UNHCR operations. Additional equipment was purchased locally.