Saskia Baar

Strategic Planning & Coordination (Private Sector Partnerships) @refugees | King's College alum. #1 Sam & Tom fan 👶🏼 All views are my own.

[Filippo Grandi @FilippoGrandi]

Syria is at a crossroads between peace and war, freedom and lawlessness, prosperity and misery.

For its refugees, the watershed is between repatriation and the continuation of exile.

It all depends on a peaceful transition, respecting the lives and aspirations of all Syrians.

[Sajjad Malik @malik_sajjad]

What a brilliant day in Lagos at the Africa Roundtable on Private Sector Solutions to Internal Displacement. Inspirational discussions on overcoming barriers & empowering displaced & host communities. Thankyou @NigeriaGov @UNmigration @UNDP @UNPiper in partnership with @Refugees

[UNHCR Lebanon @UNHCRLebanon]

As winter sets in across 🇱🇧, UNHCR is working tirelessly to distribute essential relief items like warm blankets and winter clothing to help displaced families stay warm.

But we can’t do it alone.

More support is urgently needed to keep them safe from the cold this season.

[Dominique Isabelle Hyde @DominiqueHyde]

This is what 13 years of crisis looks like, and what some Syrian refugees fleeing the conflict in Lebanon are returning to.

I leave Syria with a heavy heart, knowing that one thing is clear.

Emergency relief isn’t enough. Early recovery efforts must be supported.

[Filippo Grandi @FilippoGrandi]

I joined @IOMchief at #COP29 to amplify the voices of refugees and migrants and drive #ClimateAction forward with them and for them.

Their voice — and the voice of all those most impacted by climate change — is essential to discuss, plan and carry out appropriate responses.

[Dominique Isabelle Hyde @DominiqueHyde]

UNHCR’s new report 'No Escape' paints a grim picture of the climate crisis' impact on displaced people.

The suffering has layers:
Food crisis.
Water crisis.
Shelter crisis.

The climate crisis drives it all.

We can prevent the worst if we act now. https://t.co/EngfcByoUF #COP29

[United Nations Geneva @UNGeneva]

"They were 180 when they left El Geneina. They were only ten that arrived safely in Chad."

@DominiqueHyde of @Refugees shares a harrowing story of Sudanese people trying to reach safety in neighbouring Chad.

[Gonzalo Vargas Llosa @llosa_gonzalo]

It was exactly a month ago since this latest cycle
of bombings in Lebanon started.

Since then, my colleagues and I on the Syrian side of the border have witnessed the dark side of humankind.

Some 430,000 innocent Syrian and Lebanese civilians fleeing for their lives. A Syrian woman carrying her two dead children across the border. Their main escape route into Syria also bombed. Not once, but twice.

But we have also seen a country - Syria - generously open its borders not only to its own citizens but to their Lebanese brothers and sisters. Poor Syrians all over the country hosting them in their homes and sharing half of nothing - because they have nothing - with them.

And my UNHCR staff and our partners working day and night to provide assistance and protection to those who so desperately need it.

[UNHCR Lebanon @UNHCRLebanon]

🚨 Aid ready to deploy from Beirut & Mount Lebanon!

🔍 Join our colleague Rindala on a tour of our warehouse to see how we’re gearing up to respond swiftly.

📦💙 Every item counts. Every moment matters.

👇 Watch now:

[UNHCR Lebanon @UNHCRLebanon]

Humanitarian aid is on the move 🚚

Despite airstrikes in southern 🇱🇧, UNHCR, UN agencies & @SheildAssoc are delivering relief to hard-to-reach areas in Qlayaa, Marjayoun.

Trucks with blankets, mattresses, kitchen sets &solar lamps were delivered to assist those most in need.

[UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency @Refugees]

For her incredible work in paying it forward and helping hundreds of people find home in Egypt, just as she did, we honour Nada Fadol as this year’s #NansenAward Regional Winner for Middle East and North Africa.

[UNICEF Lebanon @UNICEFLebanon]

In a joint effort with UN agencies, UNICEF delivered life-saving supplies to the hard-to-reach villages of Marjayoun in southern #Lebanon.

Over 7,000 people received safe water, hygiene kits, first aid kits, and water purification materials—providing vital support to children and families as the situation continues to worsen.

[Dominique Isabelle Hyde @DominiqueHyde]

One in eight girls sexually assaulted or raped before turning 18, says ⁦@UNICEF⁩

The agency said that while girls and women were the worst affected, approximately one boy or man in 11 had also experienced rape or sexual assault during childhood. https://t.co/KzWnWDXoYn

[UNICEF @UNICEF]

8-year-old Amir was hit by shrapnel from an airstrike with pieces lodged in his spinal cord.

Children in Lebanon bear the brunt of conflict. Hundreds killed & injured, countless others displaced & all deprived of education.

Children are not targets. They need a ceasefire now.

[UNICEF @UNICEF]

The Bibas children, Ariel and Kfir, who are still held hostage in the Gaza Strip after one year, must be released now.

During the horrific events of 7 Oct 2023, many children were killed, injured, displaced and traumatized.

Children are not targets. They need a ceasefire now.

[Filippo Grandi @FilippoGrandi]

Tonight in Damascus I appealed for $324 million to meet the needs of all people fleeing from Lebanon to Syria and the families hosting many of them.

This crisis happens at a time when millions of Syrians live in hardship. Humanitarian and early recovery aid are urgently needed.

[Gonzalo Vargas Llosa @llosa_gonzalo]

Early this morning, an airstrike hit the road between the Lebanese and the Syrian border at Masnaa. Even when fleeing for their lives, Syrians and Lebanese are not allowed to feel safe. This is unacceptable. Fortunately, there were no civilian casualties this time. As the road is destroyed, some are now literally walking into Syria. I spoke to some of them a few minutes ago. They were terrified.

[Filippo Grandi @FilippoGrandi]

To urgently meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Lebanon, including those who have crossed the Syrian border, and in coordination with the Lebanese government, the @UN is appealing for US$425 million in contributions, of which US$83 million for UNHCR.

[UNHCR Lebanon @UNHCRLebanon]

Emergency Response Coordinator Minister @nasseryassin conducted a joint visit with @IFreijsen and @Imran_Riza to a collective shelter in Beirut hosting families displaced by the recent attacks. UNHCR & @makhzoumi teams were on site, providing relief items to the displaced.

[Gonzalo Vargas Llosa @llosa_gonzalo]

The authorities in Syria are opening up collective shelters for vulnerable Lebanese who don't have a place to stay. Today, UNHCR staff and partners visited some of these in Homs. After their dramatic journey, they now have a place to rest, receive assistance, and share their stories.