GENEVA – The UN refugee agency has appealed to the Government of Pakistan to temporarily suspend the closure of Jalozai camp in the country's North West Frontier Province (NWFP). With only six working days to go before the formal closure date, UNHCR is deeply concerned that at this late stage of the repatriation season, tens of thousands of Afghans are being pressured into leaving in a manner that will lead to a humanitarian crisis this winter.

Batken Oblast, Kyrgyz Republic

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Kyrgyzstan and Batken local authorities will launch a new programme committing more than $200,000 USD to ensure the rights children in Batken to early childhood development, education and social protection.

GENEVA – The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, met on Friday with Fayzal Khabbaz Hamoui, the new Permanent Representative in Geneva for Syria, a country now hosting nearly 1.4 million uprooted Iraqis.

ROME – The U.N. refugee agency is deeply saddened by the death of Luciano Pavarotti, a staunch supporter of the refugee cause and of UNHCR's work around the world.