Alan Cumming
“Practically everyone I met didn’t come straight to Lebanon. They were moved around and they tried to find safety in their own country, sometimes six or seven times, before they realised ‘Ok this is it, we’ve got to get out of here’. So I think it was interesting to be reminded that being displaced - becoming a refugee - is a last resort for people.”
About Alan
Scottish actor and writer Alan Cumming started supporting UNHCR in early 2016. That year, he travelled to Lebanon where he met Syrian refugees living in informal settlements and unfinished buildings, and visited one of the largest hospitals in the country where refugees receive critical life-saving support with the help of UNHCR. He also met LGBTQI refugees who had fled horrific persecution and violence in Syria and Iraq, and, in 2019, he had the great opportunity to reconnect with one of these refugees who had been resettled to Amsterdam.
Since this trip, Alan faithfully lends his passionate voice and platform to shed light on the global refugee crisis via media, social media, fundraising and campaign support. A few highlights include his participation in UNHCR’s COVID-19 appeal, emphasizing the vulnerability of refugees and how many lack access to basics like soap and water, his support of #StepWithRefugees, and of #WithRefugees.
