Exhibition ‘Refugees’ Opens at United Nations Headquarters on 20 June

A formal opening ceremony for the exhibition entitled “Refugees” will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, 20 June, in the Visitors’ Lobby at United Nations Headquarters in New York.  The exhibit is organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in collaboration with the UN SDG [Sustainable Development Goals] Action Campaign, and the Department of Public Information.

Cristina Gallach, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, will welcome guests and moderate the event, which will include remarks by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Dina Kawar, Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations; Ninette Kelley, Director, UNHCR Office in New York; Mitchell Tomey, Director, UN SDG Action Campaign; and Michelle Moghtader, Director of Global Development and Co-Founder of Shared Studios.

Over the past year, 60 million people have been forced from their homes worldwide due to conflict, human rights deprivations, and economic hardship.  As a result, the international community is facing the biggest refugee and migration crisis since the Second World War.

Presented to draw attention to the plight of refugees, the exhibition includes a selection of portraits by two photographers along with photos taken by young refugees.  Photographer Brian Sokol of the United States focuses on refugees from Syria, Central African Republic, Sudan and Mali to showcase “the” important thing they fetch before fleeing.  Photographer Magnus Wennman of Sweden follows Syrian refugee children in neighbouring countries or making their way through Europe.

The exhibition also includes Clouds over Sidra, a virtual reality video that transports visitors to a refugee camp in Jordan and makes them feel first-hand what it means to be a refugee.  A portal, which is part of interconnected shipping containers with immersive audio and video technology, allows visitors to converse face-to-face with refugees in camps across the world.  The portal is provided by Shared Studios, a multidisciplinary arts, design, and technology collective, and Bridges of Understanding, .a non-governmental organization focused on enhancing relations between the United States and the Arab World.

For more information on “Refugees” and for the guidelines governing United Nations exhibitions, please contact Renata Morteo at tel.:  1 212 963 5455; or e-mail:  morteo@un.org.