Displaced Somali families in Doolow are building climate-resilient mudbrick shelters, improving safety, dignity, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability.

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’s 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—it holds Maya’s 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—and who she hopes to become.

Gardens of hope

In a displacement site in Dédougou, 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 moments of calm, community and hope 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, describes 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 – 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 “demands more attention, more resources and more action – now”.

Theo James visited Syria 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 UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.

Filippo Grandi has devoted more than three decades to easing the suffering of refugees: “My 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.” 

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’s largest refugee populations. “Home means your house, your family, your friends, your work, your school, and it is fantastic when, like in Syria […] people can go back to their homes. This is what most refugees want.”

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 Nansen Refugee Award is an annual humanitarian honour presented by the UN Refugee Agency 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 2025 winners 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 2025 ceremony with appearances by the regional winners and performances by award-winning artists.

From today until 17 December, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is hosting the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting brings together senior government officials and key stakeholders to assess progress in implementing pledges made at the 2019 and 2023 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’s 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’s 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.

After fleeing panic during an earthquake, Nicaraguan migrant Tamara Baltodano found new purpose in Peru, training to save lives and proving that courage knows no borders.

Eight years after the forced mass displacement of the Rohingya community due to violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State, their circumstances continue to deteriorate. Over the past year and a half, 150,000 Rohingya — a mainly Muslim minority in a predominantly Buddhist country — have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh, marking the largest influx since 2017. In light of this dire situation, the UN Secretary-General hopes that the High-Level Conference on Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar draws renewed international attention to the urgent need for long-term solutions. Follow the event live.

In war-scarred Tigray, displaced families at Maidimu navigate profound loss with dignity, turning survival into renewal through water, art, play, and quiet acts of resilience.

UNICEF’s Learning to Earning programme is empowering young refugees and vulnerable youth like Taima and Touqa with skills and opportunities to build brighter, more resilient futures.