UN Refugee Agency braces for thousands of job cuts
20/3/2025: The head of the UN Refugee Agency has warned staff that he is contemplating cuts of as many as 5,000 to 6,000 workers, primarily the result of “financial uncertainty” wrought by the US foreign aid freeze. The move comes as a number of UN agencies are bracing for deep cuts.
Source: Devex
UN migration agency cuts more jobs
13/3/2025: The International Organization for Migration, which serves a global population of over 280 million migrants, has laid off 20% of its headquarters staff, ceasing lifesaving operations from Myanmar to Yemen. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump suspended the program which resettled more than 100,000 refugees in the US in 2024.
Source: Devex
Return proposals a “new low” for Europe’s treatment of migrants
11/3/2025: The European Commission has introduced a proposed revision to the 2008 Return Directive which lays the ground for states to send people to countries to which they have no connection. Amnesty International describes this as an alarming departure from international law, likely to result in violations, including refoulement and arbitrary detention.
Source: Amnesty International
Up to one million Syrians plan to return home in desperation
7/3/2025: As of January, more than 3.4 million internally displaced persons were still in the northwest of Syria and a significant proportion are planning to return to their homes in the near future, placing additional strain on already overstretched basic services and infrastructure. Former frontline areas in the Idleb and Aleppo governorates are the primary intended destinations.
Source: UN News
Almost 80,000 flee DR Congo amid fighting, sexual violence
4/3/2025: Armed clashes between government forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have created insecurity and horrific sexual violence, according to the UN Refugee Agency Close to 80,000 people have fled into neighbouring countries.
Source: UN News
The right to seek asylum does not exist at US-Mexico border
20/2/2025: Amnesty International has found that the right to seek asylum in the US is non-existent at the US-Mexico border, in violation of US human rights national and international obligations. These findings stem from the Trump administration’s executive actions and the increased militarization of the border by the Mexican government.
Source: Amnesty International
OECD nations continue to raid aid budgets for refugees
17/1/2025: Country members of OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) are allowed to classify costs relating to asylum seekers within their own borders as foreign aid. In 2023 14.6% of all DAC foreign aid was spent on domestic refugee costs, despite calls to limit this offset.
Source: Devex
UN cautions European suspension of asylum processing for Syrians
10/12/2024: Following the collapse of the regime in Damascus, a number of European states have suspended asylum decision-making on Syrian claims for international protection. The UN Refugee Agency has reminded governments that Syrians should continue to be granted the same rights as all other asylum-seekers, and that no asylum-seeker should be forcibly returned.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
Internal displacement in Africa triples in 15 years
26/11/2024: Africa hosts 35 million internally displaced people, nearly half of the global total, according to a new report from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Most displacement is driven by rising levels of conflict and violence, concentrated in just five countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan.
Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
Unrelenting violence in Sudan drives continued refugee exodus
8/11/2024: The continuing bloodshed in Sudan has created the world's worst civilian protection crisis in decades – and the world is not paying any attention. Since the war broke out 19 months ago, over 3 million people have been forced to flee Sudan. In October alone, some 60,000 Sudanese arrived in Chad following an escalation of fighting in Darfur.
Source: UN Refugee Agency