Civil Society

Civil society is a crucial partner for UNHCR, helping the agency reach out to refugees and the general public. Organised people power, channelled through teaching aids, celebrity advocates and sports associations, can promote understanding, raise public awareness and improve refugees' lives in camps. UNHCR's programmes and collaborations include:

Teaching Tools

These teaching materials aim to help students understand some of the complex processes that lead to violence and conflict, which in turn cause refugees to flee from their homes. Through discussing refugee issues, students can learn skills like critical thinking and conflict resolution, as well as values like empathy, respect for others and social responsibility.

Goodwill Ambassador Programme

Celebrity advocates can help establish the UN refugee agency's identity and mission for refugees in the public consciousness. Current UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors include fashion designer Giorgio Armani, actors Angelina Jolie and Adel Imam, and singers Barbara Hendricks and Julien Clerc.

Representing the refugee cause at a regional level are singer Arja Saijonmaa and Austrian pop group The Schuerzenjaeger, as well as several young Olympic athletes from Australia.

Sports Associations

Since 1996, UNHCR has partnered with Olympic Aid, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball to reach out, through sports, to millions of refugee children in camps and settlements in Africa and Asia.

Organising regular, structured recreational activities such as team sports is a vital step in rebuilding a destroyed society and boosting the healing process for young refugees, teaching them to play again.