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A 2,000 strong volunteer sea rescue team, credited with saving thousands of lives during the 2015 refugee crisis, and a passionate human rights activist who provided a safe haven for thousands of the most vulnerable refugees arriving on Greek shores, are the joint 2016 winners of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)’s Nansen Refugee Award.

The Committee approved the visa waiver for Kosovo by 25 votes to 24 with 2 abstentions, and that for Georgia by 44 votes to 5.

Leaders attending the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, pose for a commemorative photo at the opening ceremony on 4 September 2016.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has welcomed news of the arrival in the United States this week of the 10,000th refugee from the conflict in Syria, and calls for greater global solidarity ahead of summits next month that will look at ways to increase efforts to deal with the unprecedented refugee crisis worldwide.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses a youth event in Galle, Sri Lanka.

On 25 August 2016 UNRWA laid the cornerstone of what will become its largest logistics base in the Gaza Strip. A ceremony was held to mark the occasion at the construction site in Rafah, southern Gaza.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the opening of the 21st Century Panglong Conference in Myanmar’s capital, Nay Pyi Taw.

The respect of human rights and the rule of law in Turkey in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt will be a crucial test for the state of the country’s democracy, said Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs on Tuesday. They assessed the results of last week’s fact-finding mission to Turkey by the committee chair and rapporteur and stressed the need for constant monitoring.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, on 30 August, called for greater international attention to the plight of South Sudanese refugees as well as donor support for Uganda’s exceptional open-door approach towards people fleeing conflict in neighbouring countries.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the announcement by the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that they have reached a final, full and definitive peace agreement. After more than fifty years of armed conflict, this accord constitutes a crucial step in the quest for durable peace in Colombia, and for stability in the region.