Norway has temporarily suspended deportations of failed asylum seekers to Afghanistan, according to the country's two immigration authorities, UDI and UNE. The country follows similar decisions taken recently by Sweden and Finland.
Thirty NGOs have called on the European Union and its member countries to suspend deportations of Afghans. The security situation in Afghanistan has worsened significantly in recent months, nearly 300,000 people have been newly displaced since the start of the year.
The Afghan government has asked European countries to suspend deportations for three months due to the unstable situation in the country. While Germany says it currently has no plans to stop deporting rejected asylum seekers to Afghanistan, Finland has announced a temporary suspension.
UNHCR and Teach For All have started a project that offers young refugee graduates the opportunity to work as teachers. It's part of the UNHCR's effort to make sure more refugees get the chance to go to university. Currently, only 3% of young refugees are enrolled in higher education.
Malaria remained the leading cause of disease among refugees in 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Young children in sub-Saharan Africa are especially vulnerable to the mosquito-borne disease.
More than 4,000 refugees and asylum seekers have been relocated from Greece to other countries in the European Union since April 2020, according to various UN agencies. Meanwhile, the number of refugees and migrants on the Greek islands has fallen from 40,000 to less than 10,000.
The UN has called for action after an increase in people fleeing conflict and persecution despite the COVID pandemic. The number of displaced people has doubled in the last decade.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN refugee agency UNHCR issued a joint statement on June 16 condemning the return of over 270 migrants to the Libyan coast guard.
The UNHCR has called for a better treatment of LGBTIQ+ people forced to flee their homes. The UN Refugee Agency is currently holding a roundtable conference focused on protections for LGBTIQ+ refugees and displaced people against persecution and violence.
The International Olympic Committee and the UN refugee agency have revealed the final refugee squad competing under the Olympic flag during next month's Tokyo Games. Six of the 29 members were already part of the first refugee team at Rio 2016.
UNHCR is appealing to the international community for continued engagement and increased support for the people of Afghanistan, including for internally displaced people and refugees seeking safety outside the country.
The UN refugee agency declared the winners of an art competition for schoolchildren in Greece this week. Among them is an 11-year-old Syrian refugee. The goal of the contest was to send a message about the importance of unity, solidarity and equality.