It is dusk by the time volunteers arrive at a busy square in central Budapest. With them, they carry hot food and fresh water – nothing short of a lifeline for the tired and hungry refugee families who are there to meet them. Little children are at first shy to accept the plates and spoons. However,...

The UN refugee agency today welcomed the European Commission's proposals unveiled on Wednesday to address the current refugee crisis in Europe. "Given the urgency of the situation, these proposals need to be implemented fully and swiftly," UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler told a press briefing in...

BUDAPEST, Sept 4 (UNHCR) – An angry confrontation between police and refugees on a blocked train just outside Budapest; a makeshift camp of stranded Syrians, Afghans and others at the capital's main railway station; more than 2,000 refugees crossing into the country from Serbia each day – the contou...

BAPSKA, Croatia-Serbia border, Sept 23 (UNHCR) – More than a thousand refugees and migrants waited under the searing sun all Wednesday at the newly blocked Serbia-Croatia border crossing near Bapska -- hot, distressed and increasingly worried that their trek to safety had been halted in its tracks. ...

This year, over half a million people, the majority of them refugees, have crossed the Mediterranean Sea in search of safety in Europe. European countries have been struggling to deal with this influx of refugees and migrants. To respond to this emergency, UNHCR established a Special Mediterranean I...

ROME, Italy, Oct 9 (UNHCR) – A first group of 19 asylum seekers was relocated from Italy to Sweden today under an EU relocation scheme. The asylum seekers who arrived in Sicily by boat over the last few weeks were registered in Lampedusa and accepted to take part in the relocation scheme that wil...

Joint press conference: Opening remarks by António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees: http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/player.cfm?sitelang=en&ref=I111028

ATHENS, Greece, Nov 4 (UNHCR) – It was the crack of dawn when 30 asylum-seekers from Syria and Iraq gathered around the departure gate at Athens International Airport on Wednesday, bound for a new life in a new land. The atmosphere was full of expectation. Some could barely contain their exciteme...

GENEVA, Nov 5 (UNHCR) – With thousands of refugees and migrants continuing to arrive in Europe via the Mediterranean each day as winter approaches, the UN refugee agency is appealing to donors for US$96.15 million in additional support for Greece and affected countries in the Balkans. UNHCR's new...

GENEVA, Nov 6 (UNHCR) – UN refugee agency staff have worked throughout the week to provide emergency shelter and support to thousands of refugees, migrants and the local host communities on the Greek Islands. An estimated 20,000 refugees and migrants are currently on the Islands of Chios, Kalymno...