#UN refugee agency (UNHCR)

[madamepestilence]

Just as a reminder as I've just noticed myself - arab.org has more pages to support on

In case you're unfamiliar with how this site works, it confirms ad revenue via your clicks, which allows them to donate money to various funds

These go to:

Children -> UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund)

Fight Poverty -> UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)

Environment -> Greenpeace MENA (Middle East and North Africa)

Palestine -> UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency [for Palestine Refugees in the Near East])

Refugees -> UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)

Women -> UN Women

Do more with your daily clicks! You can help each one once per individual (perhaps per IP address?) per day, letting you help out with six things at once?

US-specific advice for helping Palestine below cut.

Side note I'm keeping beneath the cut since it's relevant to US folks only: if you're really determined to help Palestine, vote for Dr. Cornel West, Ph.D. for President of the United States.

He's the most openly vocal about a free Palestine and is the only candidate who has demonstrably shown he is the most committed and prepared to immediately cease US support to Israel.

Joe Biden isn't going to cave if he gets re-elected. We all know that. Voting third party is a lot less risky than you've been taught - the two party system can replace one or both parties with new parties if they lose public favour.

We have both the people and the ability to unseat the Democratic party and install Socialism, and between Socialism and Republicans, Socialism is going to lock in place immediately and become the dominant political force in America.

Cornel West's Platform

Cornel West's Volunteer Events

Cornel West's Ballot Access Tracker and Ballot Access Plans

Tumblr thread I have of Primary/Caucus polling dates in the US (includes US territories)

Not on your Primary/Caucus ballot? Write-in, "Cornel West," on your ballot, or urge your Caucus representatives to do the same.

In a state where it's difficult for Independent candidates to get ballot access? Dr. Cornel West, Ph.D. thought ahead and has created a new party for those states called the Justice for All Party.

(Addendum: Claudia de la Cruz is not a viable alternative. The Party for Socialism and Liberation has a Conservative 5th Column and has frequent issues with discrimination.)

Free Palestine. Vote for Cornel West.

[reasonsforhope]

"In a landmark move towards ending statelessness, Thailand’s cabinet has approved an accelerated pathway to permanent residency and nationality for nearly half a million stateless people, marking one of the region’s most significant citizenship initiatives. 

The decision announced on Friday [November 1, 2024] will benefit 335,000 longtime residents and members of officially recognized minority ethnic groups, along with approximately 142,000 of their children born in Thailand.

“This is a historic development,” said Ms. Hai Kyung Jun, UN refugee agency (UNHCR) Bureau Director for Asia and the Pacific. The measure is expected to dramatically reduce statelessness, addressing the situation of the majority of nearly 600,000 people currently registered as stateless in the country.

Thailand’s commitment to eradicating statelessness has positioned the Government as a leader in addressing this humanitarian challenge, the agency said.

The country recently pledged at the Global Refugee Forum 2023 to resolve statelessness and was among the founding members of the Global Alliance to End Stateless, an initiative launched by UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, in Geneva last month...

UNHCR has expressed its commitment to continue working closely with the Royal Thai Government on the implementation of this groundbreaking decision and to ending statelessness overall."

-via United Nations News, November 1, 2024

[matan4il]

Out of curiosity, what does the UN actually gain from keeping the terrorists in power? Obviously antisemitism but way do they materially gain?

Anon, don't be so quick to dismiss antisemitism. It's a really powerful motivator, for some people even more than money, because it is often to connected to a person's views of themselves, their society and the world. As such, antisemitism can be linked to issues of self-worth or hope for the future. And the place where someone's self-worth depends on demonizing Jews, or their future hopes depends on the notion that their society will be so much better, if only a Jewish collective (whether the Jewish religion, race or state) will be dismantled, they are emotionally invested in ways that can be far more crucial to them than money.

So I personally do think that antisemitism played a big role in how the UN has acted regarding Israel for decades.

For example, the UN sets up a special agency to help Koreans in Dec 1950 (UNKRA). By Jul 1958, less than 8 years later and 5 years after a ceasefire was achieved between the two Koreas, the agency was seen as having served its purpose, and was dismantled. Since then, if there are ever Korean refugees still in need of help, it goes through the general UNHCR (established 1951. It replaced the UN's temporary agency IRO, established Dec 1946, which itself took over from UNRRA, established Nov 1943), the UN refugee agency that takes care of ALL refugees in the world... except the Palestinian ones. Their agency (UNPRP) was established by UN resolution 212 in Nov 1948, and later became UNRWA in Dec 1949.

Now, take a second to consider how there was NEVER any UN agency dedicated specifically to help about 1.5 million Jewish Holocaust survivors at the end of WWII, which is May 1945 (with many of them still being murdered after the end of the war, in places like Poland in Jul 1946 or Libya in the Nov 1945 and Jun 1948 pogroms). No special agency for them, no intervention to protect people who had literally been through and somehow survived the worst genocide in human history, and were still being targeted and killed after it was done, even though the UN had a talent for establishing plenty of refugee agencies just fine during those years. But there was a special agency set up for the Arabs in the Land of Israel, even though they were the aggressors in the 1947-1949 Independence War, and it still operates to this day, unlike UNKRA, which was set up later than UNRWA. Why? What reason is there for treating Holocaust victims worse than the Arabs who declared a war of extermination against Jews in Israel? Or for treating Palestinians better than any other group of refugees in the world, even though other groups often need the help much more?

I can only see one thing in common when it comes to all of these illogical, counterintuitive decisions, and that is antisemitism. Dislike the Jews? Deprive them of getting their own agency, even while others get one. Hate the Jews? Dedicate special resources to the refugees who can be used as a political pawn against the Jewish state, while still counting them as refugees even after being resettled with citizenship elsewhere, unlike every other refugees group.

And never forget, the UN's voting "democracy" (where antisemitic abuse is not penalized in votes) IS inherently vulnerable to the tyranny of the majority. There is only one Jewish state at the UN. There is a block of over 20 Arab countries, another of over 50 Muslim ones, and when they're told a lie such as the one invented by Amin al-Husseini in 1929, that the Jews are attacking the al-Aqsa mosque, then it's easy to recruit all of them against Israel without even much effort. Then add countries which have vested interests in keeping the Arab and Muslim countries on their side, or who have issues with the pro-west, pro-democracy countries (and Israel is not only one of them, it is closely allied with the US, which is the leader of that stance) and basically the one Jewish state has close to no chance.

But over the years, in addition to being invested in keeping the issue of the Palestinian refugees going as a tool against Israel, to present the Jewish state as uniquely oppressive, the UN has also become invested in the jobs that the conflict produces for its members. UNRWA alone employees over 30,000 people and is, by the UN's own admission, one of its biggest employers.

On top of that, the UN also has other workers who deal specifically with the conflict (and therefore are employed thanks to it), such as OCHA oPt. OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) is the "humanitarian arm" of the UN and oPt is its branch that takes care specifically of the Palestinians. WHY is there even a need for this, if the Palestinians already have (UNIQUELY!) an entire UN agency dedicate just to them? And then on top of that (yes! A redundancy on top of a redundancy!) they also have a Palestinian branch for the OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights).

Having so many employees dedicated to this specific conflict does make the UN financially invested in keeping it from being resolved. Also, it's probably easier to get donations for the UN when talking about this falsely over-hyped conflict (here's a recent example, a report shows there's no famine in Gaza, the UN has known this and kept it quiet), especially when the hype is fed by so many antisemites happy to spread libels about the Jewish state. Some of the antisemites are likely very rich and happy to donate to any organization targeting Israel (I can even name some very wealthy governments happy to continuously donate to the UN and UNRWA, when they're also known for their antisemism, like financially sponsoring known antisemitic professors at US universities).

I do think the antisemitism is what enabled the creation of the financial aspect to the UN's anti-Israel bias, and interest in preserving the conflict, but now I'll mention one more factor. It's also one that IMO was preceded by the antisemitism and financial interest, but now it adds its own fuel to the fire. Since 2007, when Hamas violently took over Gaza, in order to keep its programs running there, the UN has been collaborating with Hamas. Because that's what happens in an actual dictatorship, which has absolute power over its people, and doesn't allow for any civilian liberties. If you wanna run a UN agency in North Korea, you will HAVE to collaborate with Kim Jong Un's dictatorial regime. And if you want to run a UN agency in Gaza post Jun 2007, you will HAVE to collaborate with Hamas. So that's exactly what the UN has been doing in Gaza. In doing so, it has been collaborating with a genocidal, antisemitic, radical Islamist, terrorist organization. And as has allowed Israel to enter Gaza and gather evidence, we have more and more proof that the UN is complicit in Hamas' crimes. That is NOT something the UN wants the world to realize. So it's trying its best to stop Israel from fighting in Gaza, to prevent the gathering of further evidence, at the same time that the UN is doing its best to screw over Israel's credibility. If the UN can vilify the best witness against it, who will believe the evidence about its complicity anyway?

I hope that helps answer the question!

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[noneedforbloodpressure]

Working Masterpost of Charities for Genocide & Humanitarian Crises

Want to help Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Ukraine, East Turkestan, Armenia or other places facing genocide but don't know where to donate? Have limited funds and want to make sure your money helps as many people as possible? I've compiled some resources to help you get started.

Note that this is a working masterpost, meaning that I'll update it as I find more resources. This is also an inherently non-conclusive list, in significant part because I'm just one person. I urge you to do further research of your own

TIPS FOR DONATING

Charity Navigator and Charity Watch are useful sites to vet charity organizations

If you're employed, check out Charity Navigator's guide to employer donation matches.

GENERAL

Resources here are not specific to any one region in crisis, but you may be able to specify where you want your donation to be used

Doctors Without Borders/Medicins sans Frontieres (98% charity rating)

OxFam (98% charity rating)

UNICEF (94% charity rating)

World Central Kitchen (100% charity rating!)

MAUSA - Muslim Aid USA (98% charity rating)

CARE (97% charity rating)

International Committee of the Red Cross (85% charity rating)

UNHCR - UN Refugee Agency (the US branch has an 84% charity rating)

International Rescue Committee (96% charity rating)

HAIS (100% charity rating!)

Region Specific Charities Under the Cut!

PALESTINE

Palestine Children's Relief Fund (97% charity rating)

ANERA (91% charity rating)

Palestine Red Crescent Society (no specific rating, but part of a movement with the Red Cross, which - as mentioned above - has an 85% charity rating)

ALLMEP (85% charity rating)

Middle East Children's Alliance (100% charity rating!)

UNRWA (the US branch has an 89% charity rating)

eSIMs for Gaza (not currently rated, but you can read about the importance here on NBC)

Women Wage Peace (not currently rated, but you can read about their efforts on their website and via Time Magazine)

SUDAN

Sudanese Red Crescent Society (no specific rating, but part of a movement with the Red Cross, which - as mentioned above - has an 85% charity rating)

Sadagaat Charity Organization (the US branch has an 80% charity rating)

Sudanese-American Physicians Association (97% charity rating)

Khartoum Aid Kitchen (no charity rating, but you can read the effort here on NPR)

Darfur Women Action Group (not currently rated; page may be updated)

Water for South Sudan (97% charity rating)

Sudan Relief Fund (96% charity rating)

CONGO

Friends of the Congo (81% charity rating)

Panzi Foundation (91% charity rating)

UKRAINE

Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (recommended by here by Charity Watch)

Catholic Relief Services (not currently rated; read about their efforts here on Charity Watch)

ACT Alliance (recommended by here by Charity Watch)

Project HOPE (93% charity rating)

EAST TURKESTAN

East Turkestan, also called Uyghurstan, is the indigenous name for the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. If you're unfamiliar with the Uyghur genocide, you can read some intro information here on BBC

Uyghur Human Rights Project (84% charity rating)

Save Uyghur - Justice for All (94% charity rating)

ARMENIA

If you're unfamiliar with the current Armenian genocide by Azerbaijan, you can read some intro information here on CNN

CARITAS Armenia (no specific rating, but part of CARITAS, which as a 98% charity rating)

Armenia Fund (not currently rated)

Armenian National Committee of America (not currently rated)

LEBANON

ANERA - Lebanon (91% charity rating)

Oxfam - Lebanon (98% charity rating)

ICRC - Lebanon (85% charity rating)

UNICEF - Lebanon (94% charity rating)

UNHCR - Lebanon (the US branch has an 84% charity rating)

UN Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (Currently unrated, as far as I can tell)

[xueyuverse]

Links for donations to Sudan

UNHCR ACNUR: People are being forced to flee amid fighting and refugees are arriving in neighboring Chad in desperate need of help.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is on the ground assisting newly arrived refugees and providing life-saving support.

CICV: Health care could collapse at any time, despite the best efforts of Sudanese health teams, who continue to work in extremely difficult conditions, caring for injured people and providing other essential services to the population.

There are severe shortages of water, energy, food and essential medical supplies.

Sudan Relief Fund: CRISIS APPEAL: Nearly 7.1 million people displaced in Sudan. Destruction of healthcare facilities, disruption of critical healthcare services like immunizations, newborn care and availability of healthcare workers is putting many at risk of death and life-threatening complications. We need every bit of help in generating a relief fund to continue our efforts in Sudan.

Sudanese family of 8 struggling to escape the War.

Emergency response in Sudan: UNICEF continues to call for an immediate ceasefire across Sudan, and reiterates its call for all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian and human rights law – including ensuring that children are protected – and that rapid, safe, unimpeded humanitarian access to children and families in affected areas is facilitated. Without such access, critical lifesaving humanitarian support will be out of reach for millions of vulnerable children.

Despite the challenges, UNICEF and partners have provided life-saving assistance to more than 6 million children inside Sudan and in neighbouring countries, including water, health, nutrition, safe spaces and learning.

Sudan: A deepening humanitarian crisis: Sudan has plunged into a conflict of alarming scale, leaving half of the population in need of urgent assistance to survive.

This comes on top of existing challenges including economic hardship, disease outbreaks and climate-related hazards.

Families are struggling to access water, food, fuel, and other critical commodities and they need urgent help.

Be a lifeline to Migrants in need: With almost 25 million people - half the population - in need of some form of aid, the situation is particularly dire for the more than 7 million people displaced within Sudan.

Periods Don’t Stop for War! Stand with Sudanese Women and Girls: They Need Your Help Now!: SIHA Network will partner with the PNDS (Fawta Tsed Alkhana – Pad Needed, Dignity Seeded) Initiative and Sustainable Development Response Organization (SUDRO) on a campaign to collective donations and use them to buy and distribute the crucial menstrual dignity kit items Sudanese women and girls desperately need right now.  

Through providing menstrual products, the risk on women and girls’ health can be decreased and their well-being can be improved. 

You can also donate to MSF International here and for MSF Sudan here.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Flooded Brazil 'ghost town' a climate warning to world, UN advisor says

Record floods that killed over 170 people and displaced half a million in southern Brazil are a warning sign of more disasters to come throughout the Americas because of climate change, an official at the United Nations' refugee agency said on Tuesday.

Roughly 389,000 people, opens new tab in the state of Rio Grande do Sul remain displaced from their homes because of the intense rain and flooding, which local officials say was the worst disaster in the region's history. Scientists say climate change made the flooding twice as likely to happen.

Andrew Harper, special advisor on climate action to the refugee agency UNHCR, visited a flooded neighborhood in state capital Porto Alegre over the weekend and called it "a ghost town."

"It was underwater for almost 40 days. There wasn't even any rats running around. Everything had died," Harper said in an interview on Tuesday.

Continue reading.

[thelittleukrainianwell-armedgirl]

"February 24, 05:07

A year has passed today. I miss you, daddy ❤️

(message not delivered)"

Stockholm, Sweden.

(c) UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

[mariacallous]

Ukraine is set to face its toughest winter since the start of the full-scale invasion as Russia eyes cutting off its nuclear power after already bombing out capacity from half of its electricity generation sector in large-scale air strikes.

For now, Russia is not directly striking the plants with missiles and kamikaze drones. But Moscow has increasingly targeted nearby infrastructure, such as substations containing crucial equipment like transformers and power lines connecting nuclear plants to the grid.

“We're in a world where (Ukraine) has a deficit of functioning infrastructure. This is going to be the hardest winter yet,” International Energy Agency (IEA) Chief Economist Tim Gould told the Kyiv Independent.

If Russian attacks successfully disconnect all the power plants from the grid, then Ukraine’s only stable power source is gone, said Warsaw-based energy analyst Wojciech Jakobik.

“(Nuclear power) is a baseload capacity, which is irreplaceable by renewables, other sources, and especially not by energy imports,” he told the Kyiv Independent.

“With a smaller nuclear capacity in place, Ukraine will have less flexibility and less ability to stabilize (energy) generation.”

Ukraine has lost 9 gigawatts of power generation, including eight thermal plants and five hydro plants, due to Russian strikes this year. While companies scramble to repair their damaged assets, Russia is gearing up to attack Ukraine’s nuclear infrastructure, the Energy Ministry's press office told the Kyiv Independent, which would freeze out Ukrainians and cause a humanitarian crisis if the country can’t swiftly repair and protect its infrastructure.

After the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in 2022, Ukraine relies heavily on three nuclear plants remaining under government control. They are the lifeline of the country, providing 60% of its power. The last mass attack on Aug. 26 forced Ukraine to disconnect three units at the Rivne and South Ukraine plants, causing weeks of power outages.

The country’s state-owned nuclear company, Energoatom, told the Kyiv Independent that all its power units are ready to operate at “maximum capacity” during the heating season, and the company connected a refurbished one-gigawatt nuclear power unit to the grid on Oct. 1. However, it has only recently announced plans to build additional fortifications to protect power plants from attacks.

Without stable power, Ukrainians will face another round of blackouts similar to the ones in the summer which could last as long as eight hours a day, according to Kyiv-based think tank DiXi Group. Brutally cold winter temperatures during power outages will freeze pipes, cutting off Ukrainians’ access to water and heating, and may lead to another wave of refugees, the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) told the Kyiv Independent.

At the same time, attacks on nuclear infrastructure massively heighten the risks of accidents, the Energy Ministry's press office said. While Jakobik believes a Chernobyl-like scenario is unlikely as reactors are well protected, damage to substations could prevent backup supplies of electricity that ensure the safety of reactors, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The EU and the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv both told the Kyiv Independent that they are pitching in to bolster the energy sector in time for winter with financial support, backup equipment, and humanitarian aid. But with Russia relentlessly churning out and firing its missiles and drones, the only tangible tool for energy security is stronger air defense, the Energy Ministry's press office said.

Running out of time and options

During the first years of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine relied on different facilities within its massive energy sector to survive the initial attacks on energy infrastructure and even managed to export electricity to the EU. But that changed this year after mass attacks beginning in March wiped out 50% of its energy assets. Now, Ukraine has run out of options and switched from exporting to importing 2 gigawatts of electricity from its European neighbors. Winter power outages appear inevitable. The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission (UNHRMM) expects blackouts to last between 4-18 hours a day, depending on attacks and the weather, causing living conditions to crumble for millions of citizens. “The deficit of electricity supply could be up to 6 gigawatts. That's the equivalent of peak demand in Denmark,” Gould said. With nuclear power as the remaining foundation for Ukraine’s energy stability, it is the prime target for Russian strikes, the Energy Ministry's press office said. Ukraine’s government seeks to decentralize the power grid as quickly as possible, but this is unlikely to happen by the winter and private energy companies are desperately restoring their assets to strengthen the grid.

Ukraine hopes to recover 3 gigawatts by the end of the year, said Olena Lapenko, general manager in the Field of Security and Resilience at DiXi Group. But this depends on critical funding, which state electricity grid operator Ukrenergo puts at $1.5 billion for rapid repairs this season. So far, Ukraine has received nearly 700 million euros ($766 million) from its energy support fund in cooperation with the European Commission, and winter is fast approaching.

Part of the fund covers much-needed equipment, such as autotransformers, to patch up facilities damaged by Russian air strikes as fast as possible. Simple repairs around nuclear plants, like power lines, can be fixed within 24 hours, said Jakobik. But specialized equipment depends on deliveries from Western allies, which can take months unless there are readily available stockpiles, he said. “The tough part is, you replace the old infrastructure with new parts and Russia attacks it once again,” he added. DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company owned by its richest man Rinat Akhmetov, has lost 90% of its thermal plants capacity to Russian attacks. By winter, the company hopes to restore 60-65% of its thermal power that was damaged in spring. But even this would not be enough to replace nuclear power if all the plants are disconnected, said Oleksiy Povolotskiy, DTEK’s head of Recovery Office. Another issue, said Povolotskiy, is that the war has bitten a chunk out of Ukraine’s manual workforce while the scale of the damage is massive. DTEK is bringing in workers from other enterprises, like miners, to help clear debris. The company has asked European states to send engineers and machinery for more complex repairs.

The costs of Russian attacks are piling up for Ukraine. DTEK has already funneled $80 million into repairs from its own budget. Instead of relying on equipment that softens the fallout of attacks and power outages, Povolotskiy believes the most efficient solution is for Western allies to provide Ukraine with additional air-defense systems.

“Partners should understand that it is much cheaper and much more efficient to protect (energy facilities) than to repair,” he said.

The U.S. embassy in Ukraine told Kyiv Independent that the Defense Department will provide an additional Patriot battery and missiles but did not specify if this was directly for the protection of energy facilities. For now, this is the only confirmed delivery of an additional air defense battery, although Washington pledged a $2.6 billion aid package on Sept. 26 that includes munitions and support for air defense systems.

Ill prepared and ultra exposed

With no other extra air-defense systems currently in the pipeline, Ukraine’s government is building protective constructions for substations against falling debris and drones. However, not enough constructions have been built in time for winter and contractors have allegedly not been fully paid.

“More concrete constructions must be built as soon as possible,” Povolotskiy said.

Yuliia Kyian, an official at the Energy Ministry, told the Kyiv Independent during a discussion in Kyiv on Oct. 2, that the constructions are expensive and take time to build. They also cannot withstand ballistic missile strikes, she added.

Energoatom has faced criticism. In September and October, the company signed contracts to construct a $12.3 million shield around the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant and a $14.4 million worth of protection around the South Ukraine plant in Mykolaiv Oblast. Ukrainian anti-corruption watchdog Nashi Groshi reported that the contracts were concluded only after President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN Security Council that Russia was preparing an attack on the three operating nuclear plants.

“It is difficult to assess why this was not done earlier,” said DiXi Group’s Lapenko.   “Probably no one could imagine that the Russians would aim directly at the nuclear power sites as this is a serious threat to nuclear safety. But we can’t exclude such a scenario.”

A nuclear disaster would threaten the whole of Europe, the Energy Ministry's press office said, adding that the global community must unite to prevent a catastrophe. Kyiv has reached out to the UN’s nuclear agency (IAEA) to place more observation missions around its power plants, but an agreement has not yet been reached.

International observers will ensure that safety standards are enforced at the plants and combat disinformation, as Moscow frequently denies Ukraine’s accusations of endangering nuclear safety, Jakobik said. Nevertheless, Russia could pummel nuclear facilities to the point that it is dangerous for people to remain and force evacuations.

“Russia is not a responsible stakeholder in the nuclear sector,” he said.

“It's using energy terrorism against Ukraine. You cannot be sure about what Russia is doing,” the energy analyst added.

[crossdreamers]

The Life of an Ugandan LGBTQ Refugee in South Sudan

Transgender World presents the voice of a transgender woman fleeing persecution in Uganda.

By Jack Molay

The anti-LGBTQ laws of Uganda

Uganda has some of the harshest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world. Same-sex sexual activity is illegal for both men and women in Uganda.

Even though the Ugandan government argue that their homophobic and transphobic laws are anti-colonial, the policy has, in fact, roots in British colonial laws introduced when Uganda was a British protectorate. These days right-wing American Evangelicals do their best to fan the flames of queer-phobia in Uganda.

This policy is accompanied by deeply held homophobic and transphobic beliefs in large parts of the population. We have already reported on N., a lesbian LGBTQ-activist who fled to the Kakuma camp in Kenya when her mother and her sister were killed by her fellow villagers.

Queer life in Kenyan refugee camps

Kenya may be a little bit more lenient when it comes to practicing its own anti-LGBTQ laws ("sodomy" is punishable by 21 years' imprisonment), but the camps have their violent queer-phobic mobs, so you are never safe.

Queer Ugandan refugees in Kenya. Photo: Brian Inganga/AP Photo

From Kenya to South Sudan

This has led some LGBTQ-refugees to flee from the Kakuma camp in Kenya to another camp in South Sudan. One reason is the hope of becoming part of some of the Western refugee repatriation programs. That might seem like a long shot, but some have actually managed to get to the US and Canada.

We are deliberately not giving you the name of the South Sudan camp here, as the local authorities are searching the web in order to identify queer and trans refugees.

South Sudan criminalizes sexual activity between males and the gender expression of trans women. Neither Kenya nor South Sudan accept being queer or trans reason for being given a refugee status. There are clear limits to what the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, can or will do to protect them, even though the organization clearly condemns anti-LGBTQ violence.

We are in touch with several refugees in Kenya and South Sudan, and today we have the privilege of sharing one such life story with you, namely the story of A., a transgender woman who is now living in a camp in South Sudan. Her story can give you a glimpse into the life of LGBTQ refugees in both Kenya and South Sudan.

We know the real identity of A, but will not reveal it here due to fear of persecution. The original text has been anonymized for that reason.

The life of A

My name is A., and I am 37 years old Ugandan. I have a bachelor's degree from a university in Kampala, and I have worked in various fields, including banking, administration, customer service, and social work. I have always prided myself on my education and professional skills, but life as an LGBTQ person in Uganda has forced me to face some of the harshest realities imaginable.

I grew up in Jinja, Uganda, raised by my grandmother after my parents were unable to care for me. My mother abandoned me when I was just a baby, and my father died when I was only a year old.

The Jinja Nile Bridge

Despite these challenges, my grandmother provided me with love and stability until her death in 2019. My upbringing, however, was marred by the harsh realities of being different in a society that doesn’t easily accept those who don’t conform to the traditional expectations of gender and sexuality.

Being different

From a young age, I knew that I was different. I began to recognize my attraction to the same gender and struggled to understand my feelings amidst a society that fiercely upheld heteronormative values.

As I navigated my teenage years, I was drawn to boys, but those feelings were never acknowledged or accepted. My self-expression, which sometimes included clothing choices that blurred gender lines, made me a target for mockery and ridicule. The boys I had crushes on were seen as forbidden, and I lived in constant fear of being found out.

Violence

Growing up as an LGBTQ individual in Uganda was incredibly difficult. I faced relentless bullying, harassment, and rejection—not just from peers but from my own family. I was forced to endure physical and emotional violence, including one harrowing incident in 2002, where I was publicly stripped by my peers who questioned my gender.

The bullying continued throughout my life, but it reached a breaking point when I was arrested at the age of 16 after being caught with my boyfriend.

My family, including religious leaders, condemned me, and I was beaten and rejected by those I had once considered family. I was shunned and made to feel like a disgrace.

Workplace discrimination

In the workplace, I encountered further discrimination. I was fired from jobs because of my sexual orientation, as many employers in Uganda hold deeply homophobic views. My attempts to find work were thwarted by my family’s influence, who ensured that my efforts were sabotaged. I was left financially dependent on my boyfriend, and my prospects seemed bleak.

In 2017, my family forced me into an arranged marriage with a woman, even though I was already in a serious relationship with my boyfriend.

My family found out about our relationship and, in retaliation, I was arrested and once again ostracized. This led to my final job termination and left me in a precarious position, financially and emotionally.

My family told me never to seek help from anyone, including organizations like Icebreakers Uganda and Happy Family Shelter, who tried to support me. This cycle of rejection and violence ultimately led me to make the difficult decision to leave Uganda.

From Kenya to South Sudan

I fled to Kenya in 2021 , seeking safety and a fresh start. But even in Kenya’s refugee camps, I faced constant threats, violence, and discrimination. The environment was hostile, and I found no protection from the UNHCR. Fearing for my life, I eventually made my way to a camp in South Sudan, hoping to find a safe place for LGBTQ refugees like myself.

From the Kakuma Camp in Kenya (UNHCR)

Unfortunately, life in this camp has not been much better. We are discriminated against by the host community, and on December 27th, we were raided, beaten, and had all our belongings—including food—stolen. Our lives here are constantly at risk, and I fear for my safety every day.

A. was beaten up in the camp. (Private photo)

As an LGBTQ person living in this camp, I am forced to hide who I am, not just for my safety, but for survival. We live in a country that does not accept us, and we are subjected to violence and abuse simply for being who we are.

The constant fear, combined with the lack of basic resources, has made life unbearable. As someone with hypertension, my health is also at risk, as I lack access to necessary medication and proper care.

Hope for a better future

Despite these hardships, I remain hopeful for a better future. I am an educated person with a strong desire to rebuild my life. I want to find a place where I can live freely and authentically, where I can work again and contribute to society. I want to love openly, find a partner, and live a life where I am not forced to hide who I am.

My dream is to find safety, stability, and acceptance things that have been out of my reach for so long.

I ask for help not just for myself, but for all LGBTQ refugees facing similar struggles. I seek food, clothing, and medical care, but more than that, I long for a chance to live the life I’ve always dreamed of—free from fear, discrimination, and violence.

With your support, I hope to one day build a future where I can be myself, contribute to the world around me, and finally find the peace and acceptance I’ve always craved.

A.

Main illustration: Atlas Studio

[deepwaterwritingprompts]

what was the coolest/most important thing you did with the UN? :0

so my job last summer was basically to run around Geneva CH organizing and leading big groups of students learning about the UN system, how it works, what is diplomacy, what kind of organizations exist within it.

I spent about two months planning and one month literally bursting into different UN agencies, trying to get 40 college kids places on time, sweating to death in the heatwave. WHO staff are super nice and I owe them my life. WIPO took years off my life but they have a piece of the moon in their lobby which is cool. I have beef with a Permanent Mission because they went FORTY MINUTES over their speaking time despite having a moderator present.

that was all wild all the time. the #1 coolest thing I did related to the UN was volunteering at the 2022 Nansen Awards (UNHCR awards for aid to refugees). They ended up needing to fill seats and there wasn't a lot for me to do anyway, so I kind of just...attended them. Angela Merkel spoke. A Eurovision act performed. They served Sri Lankan curry after. it was fabulous and I got a certificate for it.

on a more serious note the coolest/most important thing I did was introduce a lot of university students to the concept that you don't have to major in politics or IR to be involved in the UN. the system is massive and we need people who do every sort of thing, from every country, of every race color gender ability sexuality etc etc.

also if you work in IT please please please apply to work for the UN there are so many jobs and so many web/application portals are so so broken please

- L

(It's Ask Day! Ask me anything about anything. Tag to block/follow is L Answers)

[jonnylovers-in-neverland]

On October 16th Spotify, in association with FC Barcelona, has chosen Coldplay to feature on the Barça jersey for the men’s team’s game against Real Madrid – also known as El Clásico – on October 26 and the women’s team’s match against Eibar on Nov 2.

One of the limited editions consists of 1,899 units of the match-quality jersey featuring the Moon Music Coldplay logo. Another, even more exclusive edition, consisting of only 22 match quality units will feature a fluorescent effect on the logo and will be signed by the starting players from both matches—the Clásico and the Liga F game. There's also a lifestyle clothing line available from Barça Stores and the club’s e-commerce site. The Moon Music-related logo that features on the shirt was inspired by a design from a Coldplay fan David Saldaña.

Spotify, Coldplay and FC Barcelona will donate the proceeds from this match jerseys collection to a joint project from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR/ACNUR) and the FC Barcelona Foundation.

The band has also curated FC Barcelona's Matchday playlist featuring songs from the band's new album + discography The playlist also features hits as from Karol G, Rosalía, Chappell Roan, Oasis, The Verve, Shakira, The Beatles and more. [link]

"We’re honoured that Spotify has chosen to feature our Moon Music design on the shirt of FC Barcelona. We’ve had a special relationship with the city and the club for many years. We’re also proud to support the UNHCR in their life-saving work to protect refugees and displaced people around the world. Heartfelt thanks to Spotify and FC Barcelona for making this happen."

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

Big news! The US, and right after it, Canada, Australia and Italy, as well as the UK and Finland, have ALL frozen their financial support of UNRWA, following evidence presented to them that some of the UN agency's employees participated in the Hamas massacre.

To add to the news, this is NOT the first scandal involving this agency. UNRWA facilities have been continuously used for terrorist activity, UNRWA teachers and employees have been repeatedly called out for their support of antisemitism and terrorism, the same goes for UNRWA textbooks and schools, where antisemitism and terrorism are encouraged. It's even been asked why UNRWA still exists. Palestinians are the only ones who get their own refugee agency. Every other refugee, from every other country in the world, including ones suffering far greater humanitarian disasters, are treated by the general UN refugees agency, UNHCR. And unlike UNHCR, UNRWA does not look to solve the plight of the refugees it claims to help. If it's not enough that it's unclear why should Palestinians get their own agency, and why does it perpetuate the problem of Paletsinian refugees rather than help solve it, or why is there a separate definition for Palestinian refugees than for all other ones, Palestinian refugees also get more funding (through UNRWA) than any other refugee in the world. Just to highlight the absurdity, celeb millionaires Bella and Gigi Hadid, and their millionaire father Mohamed, are all still considered Palestinian refugees according to UNRWA's definition, despite obviously being well integrated into other countries.

Something I wanna add is about proportions within the UN and UNRWA employment. Globally, the UN says it directly employees 37,000 people. UNRWA's website says over 30,000 people work for it, and most are Palestinians, "with a small number of internation staff." That means UNRWA seems internation and impartial thanks to being counted as a UN body, but in reality, it is a Palestinian orgnization. It could never be impartial, like it wants to appear. But then it gets quoted endlessly by other UN bodies, as if UNRWA's data is impartial and reliable. It's been said more than once that many Hamas members are also employed by UNRWA, and in fact, Hamas has already voiced its displeasure over the funding to UNRAW being stopped. If Hamas is unhappy about it, when Hamas has been killing its own population, that says Hamas has its own vested interest in this organization.

Funding for UNRWA has been frozen before, but then restored. So that's not a solution. This time, the UN should be pressured to dismantle UNRWA, and move Palestinian refugees to the same definition, the same budget and the same kind of care and solution granted to all other refugees under the UNHCR.

Just a reminder that thanks to the anti-Israel demonization, Jews are not safe anywhere. In London, three people were recently attacked for simply speaking Hebrew. So here's your reminder that Hebrew is the native language of Jews, there are many Jews who try to learn and speak it, and targeting people for just speaking Hebrew is by its very nature antisemitic.

A new study shows that about half of the Israeli citizens evacuated from the north are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. I don't know of a similar current survey regarding the Israelis evacuated from the south, but given the massacre they survived, one can only assume the situation among them is even worse.

These are Lior (right) and his 79 years old dad Chaim Perry (left).

Lior's brother was murdered during the Hamas massacre on Oct 7, and his life long peace activist father Chaim was kidnapped. Lior was asked today what he thought of the International Court of Justice's call yesterday for Hamas to return all of the Israeli hostages, immediately and without any conditions. He said he also calls for the same thing, and it's about as effective.

This is Irena Maman.

She's a resident of the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona, but when most of its people were evacuated, Irena refused to. With her husband's help, she's still working as a tailor, and inviting soldiers who need their uniforms fixed to come see her, offering her work to them pro bono.

These are Aviad (left) and Gideon ("Gigi," right) Rivlin.

Four Rivlin brothers went to the Nova music festival together, Aviad, Gigi, Yochai and Yinon. When the terrorist attack started, they were giving the wounded water. At a certain point, they dispersed, with each brother running in a different direction. Aviad and Gigi did not survive. In an interview, their father said he's stopped asking himself why did he lose two sons, and started being thankful for having gotten two back. Gigi was named after his uncle Gideon, who was murdered by a terrorist from Gaza.

May their memories be a blessing.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[web-novel-polls]

This blog will be inactive February 18th-25th, 2024, due to the Global Strike Against Genocide. The scheduled polls will be moved to next week (doubled up), and I will not be reblogging any other polls or tournaments. Please spend this week learning about and advocating for the people of Palestine, DR Congo, West Papua, Nagorno-Karabakh, etc.

Here's some general human rights websites with a wider array of information:

(Please do more research and consume critically - these are just starting points to get started & not end-all be-all sites)

I also have a post here with a similar list of human rights injustices (again, not polished masterpiece or anything, but somewhere to start)

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazilian nun awarded UN refugee prize

Sister Rosita Milesi runs national network helping refugees across Brazil and has helped shape public policy.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will present its annual Nansen Award to a Brazilian nun who has dedicated herself to helping migrants for decades.

The UN refugee agency announced the winner on Wednesday, lauding Sister Rosita Milesi for her work as a “lawyer, social worker and movement builder” helping internally displaced and stateless people over 40 years.

Milesi, 79, a member of the Catholic order of the Scalabrini nuns, had “personally assisted” thousands of people, ensuring them access to legal documents, shelter, food, healthcare, language training and the labour market, said UNHCR in a statement.

“If I take something on, I will turn the world upside down to make it happen,” said Milesi, the daughter of poor farmers of Italian extraction in southern Brazil, who became a nun at 19.

UNHCR highlighted Milesi’s work as a lawyer, saying it had been “instrumental” in shaping public policy – notably Brazil’s 1997 refugee law, which helped to improve refugee rights.

Continue reading.