Peace, A Song Dedicated to the World's Refugees

WASHINGTON, 18 June (UNHCR) - On World Refugee Day, June 20th, a special song recorded by rising star Diamond White, US The X Factor fan-favorite, will be released in support of UNHCR's "1 family" campaign. The song, Peace, is dedicated to the over 40 million people around the world who have been forced to flee war or persecution.

Written by Grammy award-winning team John Legend and Toby Gad, the song is being released exclusively on World Refugee Day to raise awareness about the pressing humanitarian crises in Syria, Somalia, South Sudan, Congo and Mali. It will be available through the mPowering Action (mPA) mobile app on June 20th for World Refugee Day.

"We wanted to release this song on World Refugee Day to draw attention to the millions of families, like yours and mine, uprooted by war to help youth connect through the mPowering Action mobile application to these global issues," said Gad.

UNHCR's "1 family" campaign aims to highlight the devastating impact of war and persecution on families. When families are forced to flee their homes they may have only a minute to escape. On World Refugee Day, UNHCR is asking the public to step into the shoes of a refugee - if only for a moment - by contemplating what they would take if faced with this life-changing decision.

People who download the mPowering Action mobile app will be asked to upload a photo of themselves with an object they would take if they were forced to flee their home. For taking this "action" the song will be unlocked and made available for streaming on their mobile device. The app will link through to UNHCR's global World Refugee Day site.

"Mobile technology is the intimate medium of global youth, which provides the lens to build empathy about the needs that other young people and refugees have around the world. With mobile analytics, tangible results and proof of impact have no middleman," said Tribal Brands and Tribal Technologies founder Jeff Martin. The mPowering Action platform is Tribal Brands' social investment platform.

Diamond White and Toby Gad will perform Peace live on World Refugee Day in Washington, DC, at an event hosted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry; as the closing song at an evening performance at the Kennedy Center; and as the opening song at an event at 18th St. Lounge. For more information about local events go here: http://www.unhcrwashington.org/world-refugee-day-events