UNHCR launches the 2025 Refugee Speakers Programme: “A chance to show I am a person behind the numbers”
UNHCR launches the 2025 Refugee Speakers Programme: “A chance to show I am a person behind the numbers”
At the launch event, participants met each other and their TEDx coaches.
Over 122 million people have been forced to flee their homes. Every one of them has a story to tell. All too often, refugee voices are absent in discussions about forced displacement, migration, and asylum.
“In a time when dehumanizing narratives are on the rise, it is more important than ever to listen to the voices of those who have been forced to flee. This programme helps shift the conversation from numbers and stereotypes to real human stories. When refugees speak for themselves, they challenge misconceptions, help us reconnect and remind us of our shared humanity,” said Annika Sandlund, UNHCR’s Representative to the Nordic and Baltic Countries.
UNHCR launched the Refugee Speakers Programme 2025 in Sweden for the fourth consecutive year. This year’s participants from Syria, DR Congo, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Palestine were selected through an open-call application process and by the end of the programme will be well equipped to share their personal stories of being forced to flee and of re-building their lives in Sweden.
With the support of coaches from TEDxStockholm and other TEDx organizations, the participants will engage in workshops and individual coaching sessions. The programme is designed to empower aspiring speakers with refugee backgrounds and amplify their voices, through developing their storytelling abilities.
UNHCR has launched its fourth Refugee Speakers Programme in Sweden.
“It is my honour to be part of this initiative and contribute to changing the narrative of how refugees are seen. To me, this program is a chance to show that I am a person behind the numbers, which will hopefully help those around me build empathy, break stereotypes, and see refugees not as a threat but as neighbours, as well as potential colleagues and friends,” said Galyna, one of this year’s participants.
At the launch event, participants met each other and their TEDx coaches, and were joined by Ahmad Terkawi, a speaker from the 2023 Refugee Speakers Programme. Ahmad shared his personal journey, reflections on the programme, and advice for the new participants.
The programme will culminate in a live event in Stockholm at the end of the year, where participants will share their stories with a live audience.
