Newsroom

With a global staff of more than 1,500 worldwide, the Jesuit Refugee Service is a key source for journalists who seek information on the latest issues on forced displacement in the world. Journalists visiting this site have access to press releases, latest news affecting refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, updates from JRS projects and activities, speeches, special features and more.

JRS programmes are implemented through more than 50 country offices and a large network of partners, and annually benefit more than 500,000 people worldwide.

Our global network of regional communications officers, based throughout Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, can provide updates in emergencies and access to field staff.

Regional staff can lend insight into JRS programmes and advocacy priorities and provide detailed information on current global crises.

For media inquiries or to arrange an interview, please contact our communications staff.

For all other inquiries, please call +39 06 689 77465

Democratic Republic of Congo: humanitarian emergency, more than 20,000 flee to Goma
Goma, Rome, Washington DC, 7 May 2012 – "It is nearly impossible to believe that, year after year, the lives of people in eastern Congo continue to be destroyed. The international community must commit to ensuring this region becomes safe and finally free of the armed groups, interested only in its natural resources, who prevent innocent civilians from living in peace", said JRS Great Lakes Regional Director, Tony Calleja SJ.
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Europe: JRS welcomes investigation into migrant deaths in the Mediterranean
Brussels, 29 March 2012 – This latest report is yet another sad reminder that seeking protection in Europe is a matter of life and death, according to JRS, commenting on the Council of Europe report, "Lives Lost in the Mediterranean: Who is Responsible?"
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Europe: EU states need not detain migrants, says JRS report
Brussels, 20 December 2011 – Detaining migrants is unnecessary because more humane non-custodial alternatives exist, according to the latest JRS report, From Deprivation to Liberty.
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International: JRS report highlights systematic policy hindering refugee arrivals
Rome, Brussels, 7 December 2011 – In its latest report, Safe and Secure: How do Refugees Experience Europe's Borders?, JRS finds ample evidence that European governments actively hinder refugee arrivals. JRS field offices confirm these deplorable practices are not limited to Europe; they are rapidly becoming the norm throughout Asia and Africa.
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Malta: court rules forcible return of Somalis a violation of human rights
Valletta, 5 December 2011– The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Malta welcomes the ground breaking court judgment in the case of the two Somali nationals forcibly returned to Libya in 2004.
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Cambodia: nation hosts milestone international meeting in the battle against landmines
Phnom Penh, 28 November 2011 – Leading members of the international community are gathered in Cambodia - the cradle of the anti-landmine movement - to push for progress in reducing the harm still caused by anti-personnel landmines.
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International: new spiritual and ethical resources launched to mark 31 years of JRS service
Rome, 14 November 2011 – In commemoration of the thirty-first anniversary of the foundation of the organisation, the Jesuit Refugee Service announced the launch of a new section of its website: Theology, spirituality and ethics, a basis of the JRS mission.
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International: JRS urges states to uphold standards established by the Convention on Cluster Munitions
Rome, 9 November 2011 – The Jesuit Refugee Service expresses concern about the forthcoming review of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW). If the current protocol on cluster munitions is approved, it would sanction continued use of cluster munitions proven to cause unacceptable harm to civilians.
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Panama: government grants permanent residence to Colombians
Panama City, 2 November 2011 – The National Migrants and Refugees Forum welcomes the approval of the new humanitarian protection law, granting permanent residency to Colombian forced migrants living in the border region of Darién for more than 10 years.
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USA: Kino Border Initiative recognised for humanitarian work
Nogales, 30 September 2011 — On 16 September, the Mexican Consulate in Nogales hosted a ceremony and reception to honour the JRS-supported project, the Kino Border Initiative, for their humanitarian work in the US-Mexico border region.
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Eastern Africa: appeal for Somalis
Nairobi, Rome, Washington DC, 26 July 2011 – In the midst of one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent times affecting the Horn of Africa, the Jesuit Refugee Service has announced plans to step up ongoing work for Somalis in Ethiopia and Kenya, and establish new services in the former.
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Malta: people are more important, says JRS
Valletta, 14 July 2011 – In a statement issued today, Jesuit Refugee Service Malta expressed grave concern at the predicament of the 100 men, women and children stranded on board the frigate, the Almirante Juan de Borbón, in worsening conditions, and called upon the EU states concerned to allow them to disembark immediately pending a final agreement on who will assume responsibility for them.
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Europe: migrants stranded without protection at EU borders
Brussels, 29 June 2011 – The plight of refugees stuck on the outskirts of the EU is not just an issue confined to the southern Mediterranean. A new JRS report shows that asylum seekers in Ukraine are left to their own devices in a country that cannot provide the protection they need.
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World Refugee Day: the 1951 Geneva convention, 60 years of refugee protection
Rome, 20 June 2011 – In response to the horrors of World War II, nearly 60 years ago the UN family of nations took the first concrete steps towards the construction of a global system of refugee protection.
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Europe's primary responsibility is to safe lives
Rome, 17 May 2011 – The Jesuit Refugee Service urges European Union states to establish effective mechanisms for sea rescue in the Mediterranean before more lives are needlessly lost.
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Asia Pacific: International Mine Action Day raises public awareness of the plight of survivors
Phnom Penh, 4 April 2011 – While there has been progress to ban the use of landmines around the world, there is still much to be done. On this International Mine Action Day, JRS Asia Pacific calls on all nations to cease using these weapons and to assist survivors.
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Europe: states violate the basic rights of migrants
Brussels, 28 March 2011 – Throughout Europe thousands of migrants are deprived access to education, healthcare, housing and social welfare services, and employment opportunities. Tomorrow morning, JRS will present first-hand evidence of how government policies directly contribute to the destitution of migrants on the continent.
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Kenya: JRS gives refugees access to higher education
Nairobi/Kakuma, 15 March 2011 – Refugees in Kakuma refugee camp in northwestern Kenya now have access to higher education, after JRS officially launched its new distance-education project with US universities today.
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International: a coordinated EU response to the Libyan crisis is needed now
Brussels, Rome, Valletta (Malta), 08 March 2011 – The Jesuit Refugee Service welcomes the actions and statements by several European governments since the Libyan crisis began. The meetings of the EU Foreign Ministers on 10 March and the European Council on 11 March are the moments to move to more coordinated action.
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International: JRS urges donors to strengthen role of displaced women in their aid programmes
Johannesburg, Nairobi, Rome, Washington DC, 8 March 2011 – On International Women's Day, JRS urges donor governments to take concrete steps to strengthen the role of displaced women in their aid programmes affecting their refugee communities.
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Ireland: JRS calls for greater solidarity with migrants
Dublin, 18 December 2010 – On International Migrants Day, JRS calls for greater solidarity with migrants at risk of destitution on the streets of Irish cities and towns. The plight of Irish emigrants who are experiencing similar difficulties in other countries throughout the world should not be forgotten.
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International: 30 years on, maintaining the depth of the JRS mission
Rome, 9 November 2010 – On 14 November 1980 – in a world dominated by ideology and repression – Jesuits moved to meet the humanitarian and education needs of the Vietnamese boat people, and JRS was born. Today, the number of forcibly displaced persons worldwide has increased from 16 to 45 million.
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International: cluster bomb ban treaty takes effect
London, 29 July 2010 – The Convention on Cluster Munitions takes effect on Sunday, 1 August 2010, when it becomes binding international law in countries around the world. In dozens of countries, campaigners from the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) will join UN agencies, governments and international organisations in events celebrating the swift entry into force of the most significant disarmament and humanitarian treaty in over a decade.
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Six months on, Haiti slips off the international agenda
Port-au-Prince, Rome, Washington DC, 12 July 2010 – Six months after the earthquake disaster in Haiti, more than one million survivors continue to live in appalling conditions, with inadequate sanitation, limited access to services, insecurity and constant food shortages.
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Southern Africa: JRS welcomes bishops’ statement on violence against migrants
Johannesburg, 9 July 2010 - JRS welcomes the statement made by the President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Buti Tlhagale, addressing the potential threat of xenophobic violence in South Africa.
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