UNHCR launches Voices for Refugees event at Dubai Festival City Mall

The UN Refugees Agency, UNHCR, has organised a three-day "Voices for Refugees" campaign in partnership with Dubai Festival City.

The event aims at raising awareness about refugees’ dire needs, with a focus on children. This is the second event of its type to be organised in the UAE this year, inspired by the success of the first, which took place during Ramadan.

Speaking on the occasion, Mohammed Abu Asaker, UNHCR’s Senior Regional Public Information Officer in the Gulf, said, "It is so sad that our world today has more than 65.6 million people forcibly displaced due to conflict and persecution. Some 40 percent of them reside in the Middle East and North Africa." Abu Asaker added, "The activation today is one of the most innovative approaches UNHCR has created to seek a new audience to support refugees in the region and beyond."

The campaign includes showcasing the refugee’s situation through utilising Virtual Reality devices. It also opens an opportunity for supporters to show their solidarity with refugees through signing up at the Voices for Refugees web portal.

Steven Cleaver, Director, Shopping Malls, Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate, said, "The UNHCR is an incredibly worthy organisation, so we are proud to be hosting this innovative activation at Dubai Festival City to help raise awareness about refugees during the Eid holiday. We know that using cutting edge technology such as virtual reality, is a really effective way of getting the message across to our visitors, so we hope to see a healthy number of people coming to learn more and support the cause."

The advocacy campaign comes in line with the year of giving, announced by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and in the spirit of Eid celebrations in the country.