William Spindler

My novel Países lejanos was published 15 years ago. It revolves around the murder of a Latin American peacekeeper from the United Nations in Mozambique. In the plot, the present and the past intertwine. The narrative presents a panorama of the beauty, magic and tragedy of Africa.

Maya textiles tell stories, documenting history and individual experience. In her exhibition “Pach’un Q’ijul”, Guatemalan Maya artist Angélica Serech pays homage to this ancestral practice, while reflecting on themes of identity, memory, family and recent history.

More than a million people have been displaced in Lebanon since 2 March, following intense Israeli strikes and widespread evacuation orders, UNHCR said. unhcr.org/news/briefing-…

I’m looking forward to reading “L’espion d’Ataturk” (Ataturk’s Spy), the latest book by Swiss-Turkish writer Metin Arditi -man of letters, UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassador and active member of Geneva’s literary society. He presented it yesterday at the Geneva Book Fair.

Breaking: Up to 3.2 million Iranians have been displaced by the latest US and Israeli attacks, according to the UN refugee agency. Most are fleeing from Tehran and other major urban areas towards the north of the country and rural areas to seek safety. unhcr.org/news/press-rel…

Almost 700,000 people displaced in a week across Lebanon as crisis deepens and lives are upended on a massive scale unhcr.org/news/briefing-…

War in Lebanon: more than 36,000 people have crossed into Syria to escape the Israeli air strikes, including 3,000 Lebanese citizens and over 33,000 Syrians who were living in Lebanon. unhcr.org/news/briefing-…

Conflict in the Middle East: in Lebanon, over 84,000 people are now sheltering in nearly 400 collective sites, the government reports. And over 30,000 people – mostly Syrians but also some Lebanese – have crossed into Syria since the escalation began.

Iran displacement: @Refugees reports that an estimated 100,000 people left the Iranian capital Tehran in the first 2 days of the attacks, with approximately 1,000–2,000 vehicles per day leaving mostly towards the north. No significant cross border movements have been reported.

The UN refugee agency @Refugees is mobilizing across the Middle East and reinforcing preparedness at Iran’s key border points as forced displacement is reported. UNHCR urges all countries to keep their borders open to those fleeing. unhcr.org/news/briefing-…

The UN refugee agency warns about the escalation of conflict in the Middle East and its impact on civilians and further displacement in the region. unhcr.org/news/press-rel…

UNHCR seeks support for solutions as 5.4 million Afghans return since late 2023 unhcr.org/news/briefing-…

UNHCR’s dual responsibility is to save lives today, and to prevent lives from becoming trapped in indefinite displacement tomorrow. unhcr.org/news/press-rel…

Stéphanie Solinas’ exhibition at the Jan Michalski Foundation takes a detective’s approach to identification, combining psychology, law, cartography and science, but also elements of chance and a sense of the miraculous, to explore the construction of individual identities.

Bouleversée par les événements tragiques qui se sont déroulés le 1er janvier 2026 à Crans-Montana, en Suisse, notre pays hôte, je tiens à exprimer mes condoléances aux familles des victimes et à souhaiter un prompt et complet rétablissement à toutes les personnes blessées.

#BREAKING General Assembly ELECTS Barham Ahmed Salih (Iraq) as UN High Commissioner for Refugees, for a five-year term beginning 1 January 2026.

I very warmly welcome the election of @BarhamSalih as the next @UN High Commissioner for refugees and wish him and UNHCR all the very best!

Safety should not be optional. In 2025, more than 2 million people, in particular refugee women & girls, lost access to lifesaving support due to funding shortfalls. We must do more to protect forcibly displaced & stateless women and girls from gender based violence. #16Days

For 30 years I was the face and voice of the UN refugee agency in countless media interviews. I had the privilege of meeting refugees in all continents and brought journalists to them so they could tell their own stories to the world. Now I’m starting a new chapter in my journey.

“One of the greatest privileges to work with UNHCR is to straddle the boundaries between aid and diplomacy. To help refugees and, in so doing, help open doors to peace when peace seems impossible.” My statement at UNHCR’s Executive Committee meeting: 👇🏻 unhcr.org/news/speeches-…