“We should not stand still and watch the tragedies escalate, we should all extend our hands to the refugees everywhere.”
Adel Imam, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.
In January 2000, Imam was appointed a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador (GWA) to raise awareness about refugees in Arabic-speaking countries and to brief the public on UNHCR activities.
Goodwill ambassadors efforts include going on missions, providing media support, making films, backing UNHCR campaigns, staging events, and endorsing fundraising initiatives, including emergency appeals.
Egyptian Actor Adel Imam is a megastar in the Arab World, who started his professional career as an actor in 1966. Since then, he has starred in over 100 movies, 10 plays and numerous TV series that are highly appreciated by the Arab public. Among his most famous movies are “Terrorism and the Kebab” and “the Terrorist”.
His plays “Al Zaim” and Madraset Al Moshaghbeen” are considered classics, whose reruns are still aired on television years after they debuted. In general, his career is known to side with the poor and marginalised and denounce fanaticism and extremism.
After his appointment in January 2000, Imam has helped UNHCR increase public awareness and mobilize private sector resources to support refugees. He contributed immensely to the successful celebration of several UNHCR landmark events such as such as UNHCR’s 50th anniversary.
Imam commenced his GWA duties by undertaking a field visit to Yemen and meeting with refugees and UNHCR field workers in Yemen in April, 2000.
In the years that followed, he travelled to Jordan, Tunisia, Iraq, Oman, Syria, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates, where he seized all opportunities to raise awareness about refugees and to brief the media on UNHCR activities. In his own words, Imam expressed his solidarity with refugees, speaking to a wide public in North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf region.
More recently, Imam was a keynote speaker at the 2017 World Refugee Day Celebration held by UNHCR at the Zamalek Cinema in Egypt.