Goodwill Ambassador Khaled Hosseini in Darashakran camp for Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

88 UNHCR Global Appeal 2015 Update Celebrity Support

NHCR’s goodwill ambassadors and high-profile supporters help deliver key advocacy and fundraising initiatives. Their engagement and U presence amplify messages about refugees and help to access audiences that UNHCR might otherwise not reach. When the world’s attention might be focused elsewhere, they shine a light on critical situations. And importantly, they tell the human story. They bring to the forefront the stories of individual refugees behind the numbers. With displacement levels at their highest in UNHCR’s history, and multiple emergencies challenging capacity across the globe, the contributions of these supporters are vital. lll UNHCR / B. SOKOL

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oodwill ambassadors displacement crises in 2014, working and other high-profile harder than ever to raise awareness supporters undertake a range of the needs, and of UNHCR’s of activities for UNHCR leadership role in humanitarian Gto support advocacy, awareness- emergencies. raising and fundraising efforts. They were joined by an In 2015, these will include field increasingly active family of high- missions, media initiatives, filmed profile supporters including writers messages, social media activity and Neil Gaiman and Henning Mankell, attendance at public events. Their actors Kat Graham and David voices, influence, creative abilities Morrissey, fashion designer Georgina and audience reach will thus greatly Chapman, musicians Juanes, Rokia benefit the refugee cause. Traoré and Maher Zain, and TV UNHCR goodwill ambassadors personalities Chermarn Boonyasak are appointed on the basis of their and Jung Woo-Sung. Behind them proven interest and commitment to stands a growing group of talent refugees. Their work is grounded willing to add their voices to major in experience gained through field UNHCR campaigns via their social missions and engagement with refugees media channels. and staff. This insight lends credibility With mounting humanitarian and authority to their support. Some, needs anticipated in 2015, UNHCR such as Khaled Hosseini and Alek will seek to appoint new goodwill Wek, also have personal experience ambassadors from its family of of displacement, bringing another supporters. It will also continue to dimension to their testimonies. invest in recruiting new advocates, Goodwill ambassadors have including those who appeal to responded to the mounting audiences in the United States.

ººExtending public focus on the human dimension of displacement

oodwill ambassadors and Throughout the year, goodwill high-profile supporters have ambassadors and high-profile recognized the overwhelming supporters have stimulated strong scale and seriousness of the interest in the Syria emergency via GSyria situation – now the largest their active social media messaging displacement crisis in UNHCR’s and digital initiatives. This has history – and responded with energy, brought the plight of the displaced commitment and creativity. and the work of UNHCR to a

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global audience of millions, while audiences via American and British also highlighting the outstanding television, digital and print media generosity of neighbouring host respectively. Writer Neil Gaiman, nations. designer Georgina Chapman and Khaled Hosseini’s mission to Hollywood film producer Harvey meet Syrian refugees in northern Weinstein also visited Jordan (see Iraq generated extensive media extract from The Guardian article coverage across numerous countries, So many ways to die in Syria now) including an OpEd in the New and the resultant media and social York Times and major features in a media coverage reached a combined range of publications and broadcast potential audience of over 600 channels including Al Jazeera, BBC, million people. The Guardian, The Independent, The Spanish Goodwill Newsweek and La Repubblica. Ambassador, Jesús Vázquez, Hosseini brought the human face has actively supported UNHCR of displacement to life in interviews fundraising actions and appeals and discussions during his book tour for the Syria emergency operation for And the Mountains Echoed, as through the social media, where he well as via social media and personal has over 800,000 followers. video messages. This work will continue in 2015, Three missions to Lebanon as UNHCR continues its operations enabled the Goodwill Ambassador for Syria’s displaced populations. for China, Yao Chen, Uruguayan Celebrities have also helped Goodwill Ambassador Osvaldo spread the message about many other Laport and Supporter Maher Zain humanitarian emergencies. Support to highlight to a wide geographic for UNHCR’s operations following audience the plight of Syrian refugees Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines displaced by conflict and the in 2013 came from celebrities such hospitality of the Lebanese people. as Yoko Ono, Maroon 5, Paul Abdul Zain’s social media activity generated and Dido. The displacement crisis tens of thousands of visits and video that erupted in northern Iraq in viewings, and his social media posts the summer of 2014 came on top garnered over 1.5 million “likes”. of emergencies in South Sudan and He was one of the biggest drivers of the Central African Republic, and traffic to UNHCR’s website for over high-profile voices encouraged new a month. audiences to engage with the issues. Through their respective missions In 2015, goodwill ambassadors to Jordan, actors Kat Graham and and supporters will be standing David Morrissey reported on the ready to respond to UNHCR’s calls impact of war on Syrian families, for action, in support of its work bringing human stories to new throughout the world.

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• On the side of people UNHCR / J. MATAS Neil Gaiman in Azraq refugee camp, Jordan.

In an article in The Guardian published on 22 May 2014, Neil Gaiman recalled his impressions during a visit to meet Syrian refugees in camps in Jordan. The following is an extract from the article So many ways to die in Syria now:

…Everyone I talk to in the camps has a nightmare story: they stayed in I keep going, talking to the refugees, to the people who run the camps Syria, going through hell, until they could take no more, and then the and care for the refugees, and then, after accompanying Ayman, a Syrian journey to the border, with whatever they could carry, normally just a volunteer nurse on his rounds, as he changes the dressings on a youth change of clothes for the children, would be a journey across hell. They put whose foot was blown off by a landmine and an 11-year-old girl who their lives at risk, and if they arrived at the border alive, it was worth it. lost half her jaw in a mortar attack that killed her father, I realise I can't think straight. All I want to do is cry. I think it is just me, but Sam, the …I realise I have stopped thinking about political divides, about freedom cameraman, is crying too. fighters or terrorists, about dictators and armies. I am thinking only of the fragility of civilisation. The lives the refugees had were our lives: they I imagine the world dividing into the people who want to feed their children, owned corner shops and sold cars, they farmed or worked in factories or and the ones shooting at them. It is probably just an artificial divide but owned factories or sold insurance. None of them expected to be running UNHCR is on the side of the people who want to feed their children, on the for their lives, leaving everything they had because they had nothing side of human dignity and respect, and it is rare that you know you have to come back to, making smuggled border crossings, walking past the picked the right side. You are on the side of people. n dismembered corpses of other people who had tried to make the crossing but had been caught or been betrayed.

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ººUNHCR campaigns and events make ever bigger news

World Refugee Day is always a with an audience reach of over 182 major focus of activity for UNHCR’s million. Those who posted social celebrity advocates. media messages for World Refugee 2014 saw record-breaking Day included Judd Apatow, Paulo levels of high-profile support from Coelho, Mo Farah, Stephen Fry, Luol around the world: 38 public service Deng, Simon Le Bon, Annie Lennox, announcements, 24 story-telling Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ed Norton, videos. It included contributions from Simon Pegg and Shonda Rhimes. Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai; For World Refugee Day actors Chermarn Boonyasak, Kristin 2015, UNHCR will be seeking Davis, Romola Garai, Diane Kruger similar levels of celebrity support and Emma Thompson; film director worldwide. Wes Anderson; the American cast of The 2014 Nansen Refugee The Vampire Diaries; writers Esther Award ceremony featured captivating Freud, Neil Gaiman, AA Gill, Khaled performances from Mexican guitar Hosseini, Judith Kerr, Marina Lewycka, duo Gabriela y Rodrigo, Malian Henning Mankell and Mario Vargas singer Rokia Traoré, and Lebanese- Llosa; football stars Saido Berahino, Swedish performer Maher Zain, as John Obi Mikel and James Rodriguez; well as a keynote address by Special musicians Juanes, Chantal Kreviazuk, Envoy Angelina Jolie. Zain penned a Aidos Sagat, Rokia Traoré and Maher song especially for the event, inspired Zain; and European TV presenters by his recent mission to the field to Giorgia, Alkinoos Ioannidis and witness UNHCR’s work and meet Grazyna Torbicka. with refugees. Having premiered it From a massive screen in Times at the ceremony, he shared the song Square, to cinemas in Colombia, via his social media channels, helping from TV stations across China, to draw his many fans closer to the Germany, Italy and Switzerland, to compelling situation of refugees. events in Paris, Seoul and Bangkok Paying tribute to the 2014 laureate, - the World Refugee Day message a range of celebrities, including that “even one family torn apart is Kristin Davis, Stephen Fry, Juanes, one too many” reached a vast and Annie Lennox, and Puerto Rican diverse audience. This was reinforced band Calle 13, issued messages of by a celebrity social media campaign congratulations.

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In September 2015, acclaimed Hendricks travelled to Côte D’Ivoire musicians will once again travel to witness and talk about the impact to Geneva to participate in this of statelessness on individuals. She important event, which honours subsequently advocated on the issue outstanding service to refugees and via European media, and at the Global other forcibly displaced people. Their Forum on Statelessness in The Hague music, integrated throughout the in September 2014. Writer AA Gill also ceremony, will again form part of spoke at this meeting, having witnessed the broadcast that will be viewed in and written about statelessness millions of homes worldwide. following a mission to Bangladesh. In the run up to the launch of Goodwill ambassadors’ UNHCR’s 10-year Campaign to End involvement in the campaign will Statelessness (see chapter Ending continue in 2015, including further Statelessness), Honorary Lifetime meetings with stateless people and Goodwill Ambassador Barbara resultant media and advocacy work.

ººRaising the level of global engagement

From hard news to softer followers on Weibo) enabling her to communications, from print to introduce the refugee story to a mass digital, UNHCR’s supporters have audience. – and will continue – to challenge 2015 will see continued media audiences to engage with the outreach by high-profile supporters, refugee experience. The insightful while exploring new avenues to tell and moving writing of Khaled the refugee story in creative and Hosseini and of Neil Gaiman have engaging ways. garnered extensive media reach Field missions will form an through articles in the New York important part of the goodwill Times, The Guardian and through ambassador and supporter work in broadcast channels including CNN, 2015, with missions taking place to BBC and Al Jazeera. Goodwill a range of countries hosting refugees Ambassador Alek Wek uses her and displaced people, generating personal experience of displacement media and digital coverage and to raise awareness for the cause, helping build new support. UNHCR most recently via CNN Impact, is deeply grateful to these supporters HuffPost Live, Al Jazeera America who generously give their time, and and Marie Claire. China’s Goodwill help fund refugee protection and Ambassador Yao Chen has extensive assistance via their own foundations social media reach (over 70 million and activities. n

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Chinese star Yao Chen turns cameras onto Syrian refugees in Lebanon

This article is an adapted version of a UNHCR news story

21 MAY 2014

TYRE, May 2014 | At home in China she is a film star, but on her three-day visit to Lebanon, Yao Chen is turning the cameras round to capture the suffering of Syrian refugees and help spread awareness about their plight. UNHCR/A.MCCONNELL Chinese actress Yao Shen meets Syrian refugees at a collective shelter in Tyre, Lebanon

On Tuesday, the UNHCR Goodwill wake up before dawn each day to look for Ambassador spent a day with some of those work in the nearby banana plantations and who have fled bombing and destruction vegetable fields. Those who are hired make in northern Syria and found shelter in the US$5-US$7 per day. settlement of Ras el-Ein, near the southern Lebanese city of Tyre. Here, families crowd The Chinese superstar sat with Ibrahim, 41, into makeshift tents or ramshackle apartment and his wife Shams, 31, along with their five blocks without running water. children in their small apartment. Shams, a housewife who used to make wall decorations Chen, 34, is making a documentary about the for a living, now decorates her home in experience that she will post on her Weibo Lebanon with plastic flowers made from old account – China's version of Twitter. She garbage bags. hopes to remind her 68 million followers about those who have lost everything in the Chen asked each of Ibrahim and Sham's struggle to escape war. children what they aspired to be. Amal, 11 and first in her class at a school for refugees, “My job is to pass the message,” she told hopes to be a teacher. Mohammed, 16, is UNHCR staff. “I don't know about other learning to be a car mechanic. countries, but in China, people living in peacetime only have a vague idea of what it Chen, who wraps up her Lebanon visit later means to be a refugee.” today, said she felt a special duty to seek out refugee children. “I want to let them know More than 330 refugees live in Ras el-Ein, they are not alone, there are people who love where many of the young men and women them,” she said. ¢

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