05/21/2009
(Washington, D.C. 21 May 2009) – The introduction of legislation in the
U.S. Senate and House of Representatives earlier this week to commit
the United States to comprehensive efforts to help civilians threatened
by one of the world’s longest-running and brutal insurgencies is a
crucial step forward for U.S. policy in the region, a coalition of
twenty-two human rights, humanitarian, and faith-based groups said
today.
05/19/2009
Washington, DC - Secretary of State
Clinton's announcement providing $110 million in emergency relief for displaced
Pakistanis is a positive first step, Refugees International said today.
05/18/2009
(Goma, May 18, 2009) – The United Nations Security Council, visiting
the Democratic Republic of Congo beginning today, should press for
urgent action to protect civilians, a coalition of 68 aid and human
rights groups said today. The groups said the council should make clear
to both the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo (MONUC) and the Congolese
army that stronger measures to protect civilians are urgently needed
during military operations against Rwandan militias.
05/11/2009
Washington, D.C. – Refugees International thanked Annie Duke today for
raising $700,000 for the agency’s life-saving advocacy on Celebrity
Apprentice. The championship poker player took second place in the
contest, even though she raised far more money for her charity than
Joan Rivers, the winner. After Annie’s loss, her supporters launched a
grassroots internet campaign to raise the $250,000 that Refugees
International would have received from developer Donald Trump, the host
of the show, and Celebrity Apprentice had she won.
05/07/2009
Washington, D.C. - Refugees International is honoring Ted Turner with the 2009
McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award this evening as part of the organization's 30th Anniversary Dinner.
05/06/2009
Washington, D.C. – The Obama Administration must respond forcefully to
large scale displacement caused by recent fighting in Pakistan,
Refugees International urged today.
04/29/2009
Washington, D.C. - One year after Cyclone
Nargis struck the Burmese delta on May 2, a sustained effort is still needed to
ensure that aid operations continue to assist the Burmese people, Refugees
International said today.
04/27/2009
"President
Obama's nomination of Eric Schwartz to serve as Assistant Secretary of
State for Population, Refugees and Migration shows the Obama
administration's commitment to the world's 41.9 million refugees and
internally displaced people, and 12 million stateless people.
04/20/2009
Washington, DC - Six American aid agencies today urged the Obama administration to consider humanitarian needs in its policy review on Somalia. As the latest piracy attacks off the coast of Somalia capture the world's attention, humanitarian organizations warned that the country remains in the midst of a severe humanitarian crisis.
04/09/2009
Washington, D.C. - The best solution for most displaced Iraqis is to return home, but the Government of Iraq and the international community must first establish safe conditions for them, a new field report by Refugees International (RI) said today.
04/06/2009
On Thursday, May 7th, Refugees International (RI) will host its 30th Anniversary Dinner, honoring Ted Turner with the 2009 McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award. Mr. Turner will be recognized for his inspiring commitment to humanitarian issues, including the establishment of the United Nations Foundation and the creation of CNN, which is renowned for bringing humanitarian crises to light.
04/03/2009
Washington, D.C. -A new government in Somalia has so far meant little
to the more than three million Somalis in need of emergency assistance
inside the country, Refugees International (RI) said in its latest
field report today.
03/31/2009
As security in Iraq improves, refugees and internally displaced Iraqis are starting to return home, but the returns are slow and tentative. The new security climate in Iraq has not yet translated into increases in the provision of services to displaced Iraqis and more must be done to assist and protect them.
03/26/2009
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. must immediately work with the Government
of Southern Sudan (GoSS) to secure an emergency financial rescue
package in order to avoid a breakdown of law and order, Refugees
International (RI) urged in a new field report today. The U.S. must
also help the GoSS build basic social services, create jobs and expand
agricultural opportunities for the millions of people who have returned
to south Sudan and the communities that have received them.
03/11/2009
Despite gains made in recent years, more forceful efforts are needed to assist 12 million stateless people who hold no effective nationality, Refugees International revealed in a new report today. Nationality Rights for All: A Progress Report and Global Survey on Statelessness highlights how stateless people lack access to basic services and receive no legal protection.
03/09/2009
The Government of Sudan’s expulsion of more than a dozen non-governmental organizations from Darfur has put the lives of over a million displaced people at risk. It should immediately rescind its decision and allow these organizations to resume operations.
03/04/2009
We welcome today’s decision by the judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Their decision adds international legal weight to a long obvious truth - primary responsibility for the atrocities in Darfur rests with the regime that Bashir heads.
03/04/2009
Writing to President Barack Obama in response to his new Iraq strategy, more than 40 leading U.S.-based organizations praise the President’s promise to help vulnerable Iraqis and call for a comprehensive humanitarian, development and refugee resettlement strategy led by civilian agencies.
02/18/2009
As President Obama works to stabilize Iraq, he must
be sure to comprehensively address the Iraqi refugee crisis. Five million Iraqis have been uprooted by conflict, forced to leave everything behind.
They have sought refuge within Iraq, Syria, Jordan and other
neighboring countries. They are running out of resources with little
opportunity for employment; access to food, heath care, education and
other essential services is extremely limited.
02/12/2009
Washington D.C. - Alarming increases in the number of displaced people
in Pakistan must lead Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke to make the
protection of civilians a top U.S. policy priority in Pakistan,
Refugees International (RI) said today.
01/15/2009
Washington, D.C. – Secretary of State designate Hillary Clinton should
address the humanitarian and political crisis in Somalia as soon as she
takes office, Refugees International urged today after the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee approved her nomination. Refugees
International congratulated Mrs. Clinton on receiving approval by the
Senate panel, but urged quick action. Somalia faces the world’s worst
humanitarian crisis and the U.S. should play a lead role in addressing
the political chaos at the root of the issue.
01/14/2009
US President George W. Bush’s decision to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to President Álvaro Uribe of Colombia is a disturbing example of the Bush administration’s disregard for serious human rights concerns out of zeal to show unconditional support to governments that it views as strategic allies, seven leading nongovernmental organizations said today.
01/12/2009
The Government of Thailand should instruct its Army to desist
from its new and troubling policy of pushing refugees and migrants
intercepted on boats back out to sea. The boat people are primarily
stateless Burmese Rohingya escaping severe oppression and harsh poverty
at home, but also include some Bangladeshi migrants. Both groups board
boats of varying seaworthiness with the aim of finding security and
economic opportunity in Thailand and Malaysia. The Thai government is
detaining them on a remote island and then forcing them back out to
sea. The policy endangers their lives, and exposes them to the risk of
capsizing or sinking.
01/05/2009
The current conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is having a
devastating impact on civilians. An immediate ceasefire is essential.
12/18/2008
On Monday, January 12th, 2009 Matt Dillon and Sarah Jessica Parker will join Refugees International to host a one-night only performance of the critically acclaimed George Packer play, Betrayed, at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater.
12/16/2008
Washington, D.C. - United Nations Security Council members must develop a strategy in ongoing discussions on piracy in Somalia that addresses the root causes of the problem, Refugees International (RI) urged today.
12/01/2008
"As Secretary of State, Senator Hillary Clinton will face opportunities
to broker solutions to the major refugee crises in the world today.
Secretary Robert Gates, General James Jones and Susan Rice are all
committed to multilateral solutions to the 21st century's most
challenging foreign policy issues, and will help President-elect Obama
retain military strength while building strong civilian capacity in the
U.S. government to resolve international crises.
11/20/2008
Washington, DC - Refugees International welcomed the passage of today's
UN Security Council Resolution authorizing the temporary deployment of
3,000 new peacekeepers and police for the DR Congo. However, the
organization continued to express concern that the people in eastern
Congo who lack access to services or protection from harm could not
wait three to six months before any troops would be deployed. Refugees
International continued to call for the European Union to immediately
deploy a short-term rapid reaction force that can defend strategic
towns until UN reinforcements arrive, and allow the UN peacekeeping
mission to reorganize itself.
10/30/2008
Refugees International reports that support to Iraqis in neighboring countries must be continued
10/29/2008
Nairobi, Kenya -- Refugees International (RI) expressed grave concern
today over the multiple suicide bomb attacks in Hargeisa, Somaliland
and the implications this violence will have on the provision of
international assistance in the region. RI is particularly disturbed
over the targeting of a United Nations compound, which echoes a pattern
of attacks on the UN in the southern part of Somalia in recent months.
10/27/2008
UN Peacekeeping Mission Requires More Resources to Stem Violence in DR Congo
Conflicting mandate and lack of political support have hampered UN Peacekeepers' capacity to respond
Conflicting mandate and lack of political support have hampered UN Peacekeepers' capacity to respond
10/22/2008
Washington, DC - Millions of stateless children around the world are
being denied education, health care, and the basic rights that
accompany citizenship, Refugees International revealed in a new report
today.
09/29/2008
AFRICOM Launch Marks Increased U.S. Military Role in Africa
09/26/2008
Refugees International accused the Government of Iraq of ignoring the
welfare of four million displaced Iraqis after an Iraqi parliamentary
committee made its third request this year for funding to assist them.
As the Iraqi parliamentary committee on displacement and migration
requested $4 billion of next year's $78.8 billion budget, Refugees
International called on the Government of Iraq to immediately provide
the requested funding and design a strategy to adequately respond to
the crisis.
01/11/2008
11/28/2007
04/17/2007
02/27/2007
Refugees International applauds the
prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for presenting
evidence which indicates that a former Minister of State for the
Interior of the Government of the Sudan and a leader of the Janjaweed
militia jointly committed crimes against civilians in Darfur.
media contacts
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202.828.0110 x214
202.413.6027
Email Megan
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Press & Information
Officer
202-540-7025
202-904-0319
Email Vanessa
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