Refugees
Kyrgyzstan: On The Move
The UN Refugee Agency posts this harrowing video of people fleeing violence in southern Kyrgyzstan.
Pakistan’s Swat Valley Offensive: One Year Later (Video)
One year ago, a massive offensive by the Pakistani military against suspected Taliban strongholds in Pakistan’s swat valley resulted in over one million people displaced. At the time, this was the largest mass displacement of civilians since the Rwandan genocide. Today, most of the civilians have returned home. But as this video from the UN Refugee Agency shows, there are many–the UN says thousands–who have no home to which to return.
The Australian Government’s Senseless Asylum Policy
The Australian Government temporarily suspended processing of asylum claims from Afghan and Sri Lankan nationals earlier this month, claiming the situations in those countries had sufficiently improved.
A milestone in refugee protection: Tanzania naturalizes 162,000 refugees.
The government of Tanzania on Thursday granted citizenship to 162,000 refugees from Burundi. Most of the Burundian refugees in Tanzania are part of a group dubbed the “1972 caseload” — those who fled Burundi following a 1972 civil war. Unlike most other refugees in Tanzania, they have been living outside of camps and among Tanzanians.
Farming Ban in Uganda Strips Rwandan Refugees of their Autonomy
Characterizing Rwandan refugee settlements in his country, Tarsis Kabwegyere, the Ugandan Minister for Disaster Preparedness, Relief and Refugees said: “This is not a holiday camp.” The snide remark comes after the government of Uganda enacted a ban on farming for refugees, in an attempt to incite the remaining 16,000 – mostly Hutu – Rwandan refugees to voluntary repatriate to their country.
Out in the Cold in Calais
The UN Refugee Agency posts a short documentary on the plight of migrants in the French port city of Calais. Well worth a watch.
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The SC; HRC; DPRK; South Sudan
The SC: The Security Council today held its last consultations under the Council Presidency of ROK. Tomorrow, Russia will take over the rotating Presidency of the Security Council for March under Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
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The SG; Mali; Middle East; Palestine
The SG: At the Fifth Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Vienna, Austria today, the SG emphasized the role of youth in ensuring a “prosperous, equitable and peaceful future.”
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The SG; DRC; HRC; Palestinian Prisoner
The SG: In Ethiopia over the weekend, the SG is now in the United Arab Emirates. Today he met with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, where the two discussed developments in the region, including Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, and in the Middle East Peace Process.
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