New EU rules undermine the foundation of refugee protection
18/12/2025: The European Parliament and Council have agreed rules which will make it easier for member states to reject asylum applications, on grounds that the country of origin is "safe". The new EU list of safe countries of origin includes Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Kosovo, India, Morocco and Tunisia.
Source: Amnesty International
Forced returns to Afghanistan must end
16/12/2025: Latest UN figures reveal that Iran and Pakistan have unlawfully forced more than 2.6 million migrants to return to Afghanistan this year. The figures come as the Taliban intensify their attacks on human rights, particularly on women and girls. International law prohibits the forcible return of anyone to a place where they face a real risk of human rights violations.
Source: Amnesty International
Historic return of displaced Syrians presents opportunity and urgent challenges
8/12/2025: According to the UN Refugee Agency, more than 1.2 million Syrians have voluntarily returned from neighbouring countries in the year since the fall of the Assad regime. Approximately 4.5 million Syrian refugees remain in neighbouring countries, most living below the poverty line.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
Uganda stops granting refugee status for Eritreans, Somalis and Ethiopians
4/12/2025: Citing severe funding shortfalls, Uganda has announced that it will no longer grant refugee status to new arrivals from countries “not experiencing war”. This will impact on Uganda's progressive migration policies which have taken account of forced conscription, political and religious persecution.
Source: The Guardian
Myanmar is safe?
24/11/2025: Almost 4,000 people from Myanmar now in the US may become subject to deportation to a country wracked by atrocities and targeted ethnic violence, including crimes against humanity. The Trump administration has terminated the Temporary Protective Status for people from Myanmar.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Think twice before copying Denmark’s asylum policies
14/11/2025: The British government has recently announced its plan to emulate Denmark’s asylum and immigration system. Denmark has become a pioneer in restrictive immigration policies but this has come with serious legal, ethical and moral challenges.
Source: The Conversation
Conflict and climate change displace millions in Sahel region
10/10/2025: Nearly four million people across Africa’s vast semi-arid Sahel region have been uprooted by a volatile mix of conflict, hunger and climate change. The UN Refugee Agency reports that entire communities have been emptied in Burkina Faso, northern Mali and western Niger as violence spreads.
Source: UN News
UN Refugee Agency faces even deeper budget cuts
6/10/2025: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has revealed that the Agency must contend with a 25% reduction in its budget due to cuts in foreign aid. He warned that any attempt to undermine the principle of asylum enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention and its subsequent Protocol would be “a catastrophic error”.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
Rohingya repatriation ‘catastrophic’ under existing conditions in Myanmar
29/9/2025: Amnesty International has warned against premature decisions to repatriate Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh. Conditions in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State are unsafe for return, due to forced labour, food and health crises, and escalating armed conflict.
Source: Amnesty International
Outsourcing cruelty: Trump’s mass deportation machine
19/9/2025: About 200,000 people who live in the USA but lack proper legal documentation have been deported since President Trump's inauguration. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is applying diplomatic pressure to compel states to accept US deportees, rather than adhere to countries of origin, in violation of core principles of international law.
Source: Inter Press Service