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UNHCR has launched the 鈥淕amechanging Team,鈥 a symbolic football squad captained by Canadian star Alphonso Davies, to spotlight the resilience and talent of refugees worldwide ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Featuring players and coaches with displacement backgrounds, the initiative highlights how sport can create opportunity, inclusion, and hope. UNHCR says the campaign aims to challenge stereotypes around refugees while drawing attention to the record number of people forcibly displaced by conflict, persecution, and climate crises around the world.
Fourteen-year-old Maya Sakr sits on a thin mattress in a Beirut school turned shelter, clutching the only thing she carried when bombs fell: a small make-up bag. As her family fled the strikes in the city鈥檚 southern suburbs, there was no time for anything else. Now they share a crowded classroom with other displaced families. Her father, weakened by cancer, struggles to access care; her young brother is frightened and confused. At night, echoes of explosions linger. The make-up bag holds more than brushes鈥攊t holds Maya鈥檚 dream of becoming a make-up artist, and a fragile sense of control in a life overturned by war. Despite it all, Maya says it helps her remember who she is鈥攁nd who she hopes to become.
In a displacement site in D茅dougou, Burkina Faso, families forced to flee violence are transforming small plots of land beside their tents into gardens of resilience with support from OCHA and humanitarian partners.
By growing vegetables they add fresh food to scarce meals, share with neighbors and regain a sense of dignity and purpose. Tending these gardens offers more than nourishment; it brings amid the uncertainty of displacement.
In Sudan, the conflict between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has plunged the country into widespread bloodshed and humanitarian catastrophe.
The devastating civil war began in April 2023 and is expanding beyond the western Darfur region into central Kordofan, taking its toll on civilians and particularly the most vulnerable, including children.
Eva Hinds, Spokesperson for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Sudan, how the agency is supporting boys and girls amid the brutal conflict and ongoing cuts to aid budgets.
In Renk, South Sudan, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador Kristin Davis met families who have fled escalating violence, insecurity and human rights violations in Sudan 鈥 many for the second or third time. At the Joda border crossing and Renk Transit Centre, she saw UNHCR and partners providing shelter, health care, clean water, sanitation and protection, even as needs far exceed available resources and funding remains critically low. Women and children, who make up about 80 per cent of those fleeing, shared harrowing stories of violence and loss, while support services for survivors are being forced to close. Discover why Davis says this crisis 鈥渄emands more attention, more resources and more action 鈥 now鈥.
Inside the Hagadera Refugee Camp in Dadaab, Kenya, Mariam has cultivated a thriving kitchen garden over the past 19 years, following her arrival from Somalia due to political unrest. Supported by the EU-funded Refugee Settlement Project and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (), her garden produces nutritious crops like spinach, kale, and jute mallow, surpassing others in quantity and quality. Fellow community members frequently visit to admire her garden and learn from her. The project aims to expand support to another 2,000 households, promoting vegetable gardening and backyard chicken rearing to improve nutrition and dietary diversity for families in the camp.
visited to meet returning refugees and displaced families, highlighting both hope for rebuilding after years of conflict and the urgent need for continued humanitarian support, in his role as a .
Filippo Grandi has devoted more than three decades to easing the suffering of refugees: 鈥淢y pride after all these years is that the center of this effort of my lifetime has been on people, and especially on the people that suffer most in the world, including refugees.鈥
Now, shortly before his term comes to an end, and as more than 117 million people worldwide remain forcibly displaced, the long-serving UN High Commissioner for Refugees is welcoming a rare moment of hope for one of the world鈥檚 largest refugee populations. 鈥淗ome means your house, your family, your friends, your work, your school, and it is fantastic when, like in Syria [鈥 people can go back to their homes. This is what most refugees want.鈥
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, not only helps those who flee war and persecution, but also those who choose to go home when peace returns. Appearing on Awake at Night for a second time, Filippo Grandi reflects on the dangers of divisive politics, the human cost of painful budget and staff cuts, and shares his hopes and dreams for life after the UN.
The UNHCR is an annual humanitarian honour presented by the to an individual, group or organization that has gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect and assist refugees, displaced and stateless people around the world. The include heroes from Cameroon, Tajikistan, Iraq, Mexico and Ukraine, whose efforts have transformed the lives of tens of thousands of people through evacuation, integration and sustained support for refugees. Watch the with appearances by the regional winners and performances by award-winning artists.
From today until 17 December, the UN Refugee Agency () is hosting the in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting brings together senior government officials and key stakeholders to assess progress in implementing pledges made at the and Forums. This high-level event aims to review global, regional, and country-level stocktaking efforts; strengthen support for refugees and host countries, accelerate pledge implementation through a multi-stakeholder approach; and identify priority areas requiring further action ahead of the 2027 Forum.
One month into the ceasefire, Gaza鈥檚 displaced families are experiencing brief relief but remain exposed to the cold and devastation as urgent humanitarian access and shelter support are desperately needed.
In Nigeria鈥檚 Gbajimba camp, Shiminenge overcomes disability and displacement, leading advocacy that helped transform the site with accessible shelters, sanitation, and mobility support, restoring dignity for many.
This explores how the private sector can drive economic inclusion of young refugees by expanding access to decent work and protecting their rights at work. Roman Bojko, Human Rights and Social Impact Leader at Ingka Group shares more about the company鈥檚 global Skills for Employment initiative and lessons learned from integrating refugee talent across 26 countries. The conversation highlights how hiring refugees is not just the right thing to do - it鈥檚 also good for business, fostering innovation, resilience, and inclusion in the workplace.
A journey from fleeing conflict to playing at the highest levels of basketball shows what鈥檚 possible when refugees are given the opportunity to thrive.