Refugee Youth: Using Sport to Bridge the Divide

~ an event to commemorate World Refugee Day hosted by the UNA-UK Young Professionals Network and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency ~

6.30pm - 8.45pm ● 20 June 2007 ● Lewis Media Centre ● Millbank Tower

World Refugee Day 2007: Help them learn. Help them play.

Every year World Refugee Day (WRD) is held to focus global attention on the challenges faced by the world’s refugees, which today are estimated to total 20.8 million. Many of them have fled their countries due to civil wars and ethnic, tribal and religious violence and cannot return home.

The official global theme of World Refugee Day 2007 is 'Help them learn. Help them play', reflecting the campaign led by the UN Refugee Agency – UNHCR – to use education and sport to help refugee children, of whom there are an estimated nine million, rebuild their lives.

This innovative campaign, entitled ninemillion.org, aims to raise awareness and funds for education and sports programmes for young refugees. Education, play and sport in refugee camps engage children in positive activities that give them hope and provide vital life tools which can be used to rebuild lives and regain a sense of normalcy and structure in their daily lives. To deliver the aims of ninemillion.org, UNHCR works with a range of partners, including Canadian NGO Right To Play and Nike. To find out more about ninemillion.org, click here.

'Refugee Youth: Using Sport to Bridge the Divide'

To mark this year’s World Refugee Day, YPN is again partnering with UNHCR to host the UK’s headline event. The event is entitled 'Refugee Youth: Using Sport to Bridge the Divide', and aims to highlight the role that sport can and does play in rebuild the lives of young refugees.

The keynote speaker for the event will be:

Bemma Donkoh - Head of UNHCR in the UK

She will be joined by:

Pippa Lloyd - UKSport

Mike Emery - Right To Play

Mandy Ayers - Nike

The event will formally begin at 7pm, but refreshments will be served from 6.30pm - offering a good opportunity for networking!

Click here to register your interest in attending the event.