Refugees and High Profile Celebrity Supporters hand over global refugee petition
UNHCR delivers #WithRefugees petition to annual UN General Assembly meeting in New York as support for the campaign reaches more than 1 million signatures.
Days ahead of a landmark international summit on refugees and migrants, UNHCR , the UN Refugee Agency, today delivered an unprecedented petition in support of refugees. The #WithRefugees petition with over one million signatures from people across the globe appeals to UN member States to commit to doing their fair share to help people forced to flee conflict or persecution.
Refugees themselves helped the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, to hand over the #WithRefugees petition to the UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon and the President of the 71st General Assembly, Mr. Peter Thomson, as well as the President of the 70th General Assembly, Mr. Mogens Lykketoft .
Some 200 UN Member States and observers will meet on Monday (September 19) to discuss ways to help refugees and migrants at the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants. Member States are expected to adopt the New York Declaration, a set of commitments to enhance the protection of refugees and migrants.
High Commissioner Grandi noted the Summit gives a historic opportunity:
“Globally, we are facing the most harrowing series of refugee crises in decades – with more than 65 million people worldwide now living as refugees or uprooted inside their own countries.
“The #WithRefugees petition is about compassion and solidarity. And it’s about standing together with people who have left everything behind - except their hopes, dreams, and determination.
“We need governments to stand #WithRefugees too - and to pledge to work together so that all refugees can find a place of safety; can learn, work and flourish; and can find solutions that allow them to build a secure future. “
Secretary-General Ban noted the global scope of support for refugees:
“Powered by compassion, this global solidarity for refugees has mobilized thousands of volunteers and ordinary people to reach out and help those fleeing war or persecution. Their actions and their voices have countered messages of intolerance and hate.”
President of the General Assembly Thomson noted:
“This petition -- safely delivered here today -- represents the voices of more than a million people who have publicly declared their stand “WITH refugees”. People -- no different than us apart from the circumstances in which they find themselves -- forced to flee their homes, often leaving everything behind.”
The presentation ceremony also included a performance by award winning Sudanese-American slam poet Emi Mahmoud of her ode to Alan Kurdi and a recitation of the #WithRefugees petition by American actor Ben Stiller and a group of refugees. Refugee Olympic Team athletes Yusra Mardini from Syria and Yeich Pur Biel from South Sudan also attended with Biel speaking about the importance of refugees having a safe place to live. UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, model and former refugee Alek Wek provided the opening remarks.
The #WithRefugees petition calls on all governments attending Monday’s Summit to make sure all refugee children can go to school; all refugees have a safe place to live; and that all refugees can work and contribute to their local host community.
Launched in the lead up earlier this year to World Refugee Day (June 20), it will remain active, allowing more people to add their signatures, until a global compact on refugees is agreed. More than 50 entities have backed the campaign, ranging from NGOs, civil society actors and faith based groups to artists, actors and Foundations.
Ben Stiller, actor, director, producer and UNHCR Supporter in a separate statement of support spoke about why he added his voice to the #WithRefugees petition and campaign:
“I met with Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan refugees in Berlin earlier this year and heard their family stories about what forced them to flee their countries. They escaped horrific violence and lost everything. I am honoured to be here today to help underscore the need for governments to take action and find lasting solutions to this global crisis.”
The event also screened a film produced for the #WithRefugees campaign by UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett and Facebook, entitled “What they took with Them”, which examines the trauma when conflict and persecution force people to leave their homes.
A refugee herself, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Alek Wek introduced the screening of the video; and in a separate statement said why she is supporting the #WithRefugees campaign.
“There is no doubt that I would not be where I am today if people had not stood with me when I was a refugee. The #WithRefugees campaign demonstrates that people all over the world want to see governments come together and support refugees. Over half of the world’s refugees are children. We need to ensure these children receive an education, that their parents can work, that their families have safe shelter. This is the least we can do. It’s crucial that governments act in solidarity and drastically improve their response to this current crisis.”
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Media Materials
For biographies of the participants http://bit.ly/2d06tqQ
For photos and videos of events please go to : http://assignments.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/gyipa_public?nav=pr465115802
Media contacts
For media enquiries about the #WithRefugees hand-in event.
New York: Jenifer Fenton; email: fenton@unhcr.org - Mobile +1 646 255 3054
For enquiries about the Goodwill Ambassadors and High Profile Supporters involved.
New York: Jennifer Abraham: email abrahamj@unhcr.org - Mobile +1 917 900 2901
For enquiries about the UN Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants
Geneva: Ariane Rummery: email: rummery@unhcr.org - Mobile +41 79 200 7617
About the #WithRefugees campaign
The #WithRefugees Campaign and its petition aim to build public empathy and support for refugees and asks governments to act with shared responsibility for people forced to flee their homes. The petition asks specifically asks governments to make sure: every refugee child gets an education, every refugee family has somewhere safe to live and every refugee can work or learn new skills to make a positive contribution to their community.
The #With Refugees Coalition
The following organisations are members of the #WithRefugees coalition.
Educate a child, Girl Up, UN Women, Forced Migration, University of London, University of Essex, One, IFRC, Youth Sport Trust, World Vision, Kaldor centre (UNSW Australia), Australian Refugee Council, ITUC , Feinstein logo, WFP , York University Centre for Refugee Studies , HIAS, US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Jesuit Refugee Service-USA, Blumont, Nothing But Nets , Americares, Relief International , International Table Tennis Federation, Bjorknes university college, International Relief Teams, Save the Children, Georgetown University, InterAction, Refugee Council USA, AFLCIO, Church World Service, US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Migration & Refugee Services, IRC, Urban Justice/International, Refugee Assistance Project, Human Rights First, Center for Victims of Torture, RefugePoint, Refugees International, Asylum Access, World Relief , Episcopal Migration Ministries, Lutheran World Federation, Religions for Peace, International School Of Geneva, Solidarity for Refugees, OXFAM, Y care international, IKEA, UNRWA, H&M Foundation, Sky News MENA, World Council of Churches, International Falcon Movement – Socialist Educational International, University of Cyprus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Facebook.
About the poem ‘What they brought with them’
The film is based on a rhythmic poem entitled ‘What They Took With Them’ by Jenifer Toksvig, inspired by first person testimony from refugees of items they took with them when they were forced to flee their homes. Blanchett performs the poem alongside fellow actors Keira Knightley, Juliet Stevenson, Peter Capaldi, Stanley Tucci, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kit Harington, Douglas Booth, Jesse Eisenberg and Neil Gaiman. It is exclusively released on the Facebook platform.
The film can be seen at www.withrefugees.org
About UNHCR
For over 65 years, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has been protecting the rights and well-being of refugees all over the world. Since 1950 it has faced multiple crises on multiple continents and provided vital assistance to refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced and stateless people. Today UNHCR works in over 120 countries. Learn more at http://www.unhcr.org and http://www.facebook.com/UNHCR