World Refugee Day 2004 National Activity Plan: Italy

On 18 June, UNHCR will hold a World Refugee Day conference at Rome's Palazzo Rospigliosi with the participation of Italian government authorities, politicians, NGOs, academics and the media, among others.

A TV spot produced for World Refugee Day will be broadcast by major Italian TV stations from 14 June.

UNHCR Rome has produced an information kit with five fact sheets on durable solutions and World Refugee Day. These materials will be distributed to interested municipalities, NGOs and associations all over Italy.

From 21-26 June, the Municipality of Rome will join UNHCR to organise Refugee Week, which will take place in Museum Centrale Montemartini, a former power station converted into a museum. The museum is partner of the Rome Museum Capitolini network. Entry will be free for the entire week.

The Refugee Week will include several events which will be carried out with the co-operation of different NGOs and associations. Activities include a photo exhibition ("The Return") on the repatriation of Burundian refugees from Tanzania, and theatre performances by refugees. There will also be a concert and conferences on asylum law and refugee experiences.

On 21 June, UNHCR will hold an art auction in the Museum of San Salvatore in Lauro. Forty-eight works of art will be auctioned off by Christie's to fund a UNHCR project for sustainable water sources for Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia.