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Chechnya announces major housing programme for displaced people
27 Mar 2007 The authorities in the war-ravaged republic of Chechnya have said that, by the end of this year, they will provide apartments to 3,000 displaced families currently living in temporary accommodation centres. UNHCR has welcomed the announcement but warned that the process of allocating the new apartments must be done in a fair and transparent way. -
Asylum seekers get rare chance to tell their stories in Brussels exhibition
9 Nov 2006 A striking new exhibition in Brussels gives refugees an opportunity to tell policy-makers their stories of seeking asylum in the European Union (EU), which plans to introduce a common asylum system by the end of the decade. -
UNHCR to open office in Chechnya as soon as security allows, says High Commissioner António Guterres
11 Apr 2006 At the end of his visit to the volatile North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, reiterated his organisation's commitment to open an office in Chechnya as soon as security conditions allow. -
A taste of Belgian Christmas warms hearts of asylum seekers
29 Dec 2005 When a Belgian newspaper in the province of Limburg launched an initiative asking its readers to invite an asylum seeker to Christmas dinner, over 100 families responded. For the Belgian hosts and their guests it turned out to be a memorable experience full of human warmth, and the start of some unexpected friendships. -
For Chechens, Poland is not west enough
5 Dec 2005 Although Poland has been a member of the EU for over a year, the Chechen asylum seekers there are still convinced the grass is greener further west - but the EU's Dublin Regulation means using Poland as a transit country is no longer possible, leading to a clash between Chechen hopes and European asylum realities. -
Integration projects open doors for refugees in North Ossetia
8 Feb 2005 A slow but steady solution is in sight for tens of thousands of people who fled their homes in Georgia more than 10 years ago, through legal counselling, housing and integration projects by the UN refugee agency and its partners in the Russian republic of North Ossetia-Alania. -
Chechen and Belgian refugees: Lots in common, if 90 years apart
3 Nov 2004 A photo exhibition in the North Belgian town of Zemst lets visitors share refugee experiences - past and present, local and global - by juxtaposing images of people who fled the town during World War I, and today's refugee crises in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Darfur and Western Sahara. -
UNHCR concerned about IDP backlash after attack in Ingushetia
16 Jul 2004 The UN refugee agency has raised concerns about hostile reactions and pressure on internally displaced persons in Ingushetia following the June 21 attack in the Russian republic. IDPs have been subjected to eviction threats and utility cuts in temporary settlements. -
UNHCR celebrates 50th year of Nansen Refugee Award
21 Jun 2004 More than 1,000 people gathered in Barcelona to remember the past, celebrate the present and hope for the future as this year's Nansen Refugee Award was presented to the Russian Memorial Human Rights Centre, which has helped tens of thousands of people uprooted from their homes.