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Eminent Advocates
In 2013, the UN refugee agency created a new category of influential supporter - the Eminent Advocate. The role of an Eminent Advocate, in line with UN guidelines, is to help increase public awareness about the refugee cause and the work of UNHCR in helping forcibly displaced and stateless people around the globe. Eminent Advocates may also play an important role in mobilizing resources and raising funds for the organization.
An Eminent Advocate would typically be someone of standing and influence in their own community and the wider world, including government officials, elder statesmen, royalty, respected academics, religious leaders and leading figures in the business world.
The honorary title is bestowed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to recognize an individual's strong and active support for UNHCR and its work. Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, who has helped UNHCR projects for forcibly displaced women from Somalia and Syria, was named as the first UNHCR Eminent Advocate in May 2013.