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Our photo library in Geneva is the world's largest collection of refugee-related photos covering nearly all of the major displacements of the last 60 years. These images provide a comprehensive portrait of the lives of refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people and the stateless in all corners of the globe, as well as the work of thousands of UN staff who have helped them. Most photos are showcased here and on Flickr. We offer the use of our photos free to the media - please just remember to credit us!
The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visit Syrian refugees in Jordan
Added 13 Mar 2013
Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall have met today with Syrian refugees on a visit hosted by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to a camp on the outskirts of the Jordanian capital Amman.
The visit aims to highlight the human cost of the crisis in Syria which has, to date, forced more than one million people to flee the country.
©UNHCR Photo
International Women’s Day 2013
Added 08 Mar 2013
Gender equality remains a distant goal for many women and girls around the world, particularly those who are forcibly displaced or stateless. Multiple forms of discrimination hamper their enjoyment of basic rights: sexual and gender-based violence persists in brutal forms, girls and women struggle to access education and livelihoods opportunities, and women’s voices are often powerless to influence decisions that affect their lives. Displaced women often end up alone, or as single parents, battling to make ends meet. Girls who become separated or lose their families during conflict are especially vulnerable to abuse.
On International Women’s Day, UNHCR reaffirms its commitment to fight for women’s empowerment and gender equality. In all regions of the world we are working to support refugee women’s participation and leadership in camp committees and community structures, so they can assume greater control over their lives. We have also intensified our efforts to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence, with a focus on emergencies, including by improving access to justice for survivors. Significantly, we are increasingly working with men and boys, in addition to women and girls, to bring an end to dangerous cycles of violence and promote gender equality.
These photographs pay tribute to forcibly displaced women and girls around the world. They include images of women and girls from some of today’s major displacement crises, including Syria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali and Sudan.
All photos: UNHCR/photographer
The Most Important Thing: Syrian Refugees
Added 08 Mar 2013
This is the second part of a project that asks refugees from different parts of the world, “What is the most important thing you brought from home?” The first instalment focused on refugees fleeing from Sudan to South Sudan, who openly carried pots, water containers and other objects to sustain them along the road.
What would you bring with you if you had to flee your home and escape to another country? More than 1 million Syrians have been forced to ponder this question before making the dangerous flight to neighbouring Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq or other countries in the region.
By contrast, people seeking sanctuary from the conflict in Syria must typically conceal their intentions by appearing as though they are out for a family stroll or a Sunday drive as they make their way towards a border. Thus they carry little more than keys, pieces of paper, phones and bracelets – things that can be worn or concealed in pockets. Some Syrians bring a symbol of their religious faith, others clutch a reminder of home or of happier times.
All photos: UNHCR/B. Sokol
