UNHCR Launches 2 Billion Kilometres to Safety Campaign in UAE, in Solidarity with Refugees

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 30 January 2019: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is inviting the UAE community to show solidarity with families torn apart by war and violence with the local launch of its 2 Billion Kilometres to Safety campaign, and to join a global push that will see participants from all over the world cover the total distance travelled by refugees each year to reach safety.

The campaign encourages the public to walk, run or cycle to achieve a cumulative total of two billion kilometres, the distance that people forced to flee travel every year from their homes to reach the first point of safety, according to UNHCRs calculations. [1] Participants can use their fitness apps or the campaign website www.stepwithrefugees.org to log the kilometres and contribute to a global total.

2 Billion Kilometres to Safety will encourage people to support refugees through something they may already be doing walking, cycling, running or may even be the encouragement some people need to begin their own exercise programme, said Houssam Chahine, UNHCRs Head of Private Sector Partnerships in MENA. Our campaign encourages individual acts of solidarity by retracing the journey of a typical refugee family to acknowledge their strength and resilience. It is important that we remind ourselves of the real and dangerous journeys refugees are forced to take to be safe and protect their families.

Reaching the 2 billion kilometres target will not only show us, and more importantly refugees, the support and solidarity of the world with their plight, but also bring us closer, with every step, in understanding their realities and needs, through their stories added Chahine.

In 2019, people in 27 countries across Africa, Asia, Central and North America, Europe and the Middle East will take part in the campaign, including individuals, celebrity supporters, UNHCR personnel and even refugees themselves. UNHCR hopes to raise awareness and mobilize 1.5 million people in support of refugees and their basic needs of food, water, shelter, healthcare, and protection.

In the UAE businesses such as Dubizzle, MBC Al Amal, Careem, Al Tayer Group, Anghami, and Bukhash Brothers, among others, have joined forces with UNHCR, with each committing to walk or run a certain number of kilometres for the campaign.

Mustafa Agha, Head of MBC Sport and regional Champion of the 2 billion kilometres campaign, who represents the UAE chapter of the campaign, said: Its a privilege to join hands with UNHCR on the 2 Billion Kilometres to Safety campaign to show people how they can personally contribute to helping improve the lives of the most vulnerable people in our society.
The refugee crisis is one of the most pressing situations in our world today, with a staggering 68.5 million people displaced from their homes over half of them women and children, according to the Global Trends report published by UNHCR in June 2018.

The survival journey undertaken by each refugee has severely affected many physically, mentally and emotionally, including members of my own direct family, who were forced to flee from their homes in search of safety. Today, we have the opportunity to take a step with them in solidarity and in the simplest way, through joining the campaign, committing to reaching the target, and continuing to spread the stories of courage and resilience of these refugees. Lets make every step count. Agha added.

To join the campaign, please visit the website: stepwithrefugees.org/en-ae/