Hope away from home: An evening with Emi Mahmoud

Tuesday, 22 October 2024, 4:00 – 7:00pm
Gates Discovery Center
North, 440 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98109

Keynote speech

I am grateful you were all able to join us tonight. UNHCR, The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, is the United Nations agency charged with protecting and assisting refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced and stateless people. They were founded in the aftermath of World War II, and today more than 70 years later, they continue to work with partners around the world to help refugees find safety, hope and home.

Today, nearly 120 million people have been forced to flee violence, war, or persecution. This number is staggering, and we must end the needless suffering around the world.

UNHCR is working around the clock to meet the immediate humanitarian needs of those forced to flee. People around the world continue to show extraordinary hospitality for refugees as they extend help for those in need. Above all, much more must be done to end conflict, create lasting peace and remove obstacles so that refugees can build a better future.

The situation in Sudan is taking center stage tonight. Sudan has been grappling with conflict and displacement for decades. Since the current fighting erupted in April of 2023, armed conflict in Sudan has caused the world’s largest displacement crisis and pushed the region to the brink of humanitarian catastrophe.

As we enter the second year of conflict in Sudan, some 10 million people have been uprooted, the majority of whom are women and children.

As refugees flee each day to Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic, they are struggling to find adequate housing, healthcare, food and education, with neighboring countries often lacking the resources needed to provide help.

Extreme weather including floods and droughts are destroying crops and livestock and making it increasingly difficult for families to put food on the table. Malnutrition rates are surging, with millions of people just one step away from famine.

Within Sudan, ongoing conflict prevents help from reaching those in need. Intense hostilities, remote and difficult-to-access locations, and lagging infrastructure make delivering aid extremely challenging.

Unrelenting crises like Sudan have generational effects for those caught in the crossfire. As of April of this year, nineteen million Sudanese children are currently out of school – which represents over 90% of the country’s schools that are closed or inaccessible. This will have compounding effects on the country and region for future generations.

The humanitarian crisis is immense, yet organizations like UNHCR and others are working around the clock to provide humanitarian aid. And the continuing generosity of neighboring countries provides a ray of hope for those forced to flee.

Tonight, we come together to recognize the courage, strength, and contributions of people who have been forcibly displaced and to bring attention to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

Emi Mahmoud’s powerful poetry gives voice to those who have been forced to flee and has inspired many.

Please join me in welcoming Emi Mahmoud to the stage.