Karen Wazen
Karen Wazen
Karen Wazen’s visit to Lebanon in July 2022. Karen visited UNHCR’s office for a briefing, followed by a meeting with Rimas, a young Syrian refugee girl whom Karen previously communicated with via video call and kept in touch with online.
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About Karen
Karen Wazen started a very personal, fashion and lifestyle blog in 2016 – and has since grown to become one of the most influential people on the Middle East's social media landscape today, with a global audience of over 13 million. Passionate about making a difference with her work, she uses her reach to highlight humanitarian issues on behalf of the UNHCR.
Her career highlights include being the first Middle Eastern ambassador for an Italian luxury brand, and the first regional ambassador for a major French beauty house.
She founded Karen Wazen Eyewear in 2018 and it became an overnight success. Her eyewear is now an international fashion brand. Karen also co-founded the investment management company KE Partners, and has ventured into investing in other brands and start-ups that she believes in.
Karen Wazen’s visit to Lebanon in July 2022. She met with Rimas, a young Syrian refugee girl whom Karen previously communicated with via video call and kept in touch with online. They talked about Ramadan traditions and her wishes for Eid.
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Past highlights of Karen’s support
She has been supporting UNHCR since 2018. Her first visit was to settlements in the North of Lebanon, where she met with Syrian refugees. From then on, Karen continued to support all of UNHCR’s regional and global flagship campaigns, including the global Ramadan campaign, winterization campaign, all emergency appeals (Sudan floods, Bangladesh monsoon, Beirut blast, Yemen famine, Earthquake appeal, etc.) using her social platforms and lending her voice to the refugee cause.
In Ramadan of 2019, Karen visited settlements in Bekaa, Lebanon, where she fundraised directly from the field, appealing to audiences to donate ahead of the Eid Al Fitr occasion. Karen then supported the launch of the Made51 product line at Virgin Megastores by interviewing Sir Richard Branson and promoting the Made51 shop across all her platforms. Karen supported other UNHCR offline events: the Abu Dhabi Dream Ball, the Global Citizen Forum, and UNHCR’s International Women’s Day event in the UAE.
In August 2022, Karen visited the Caritas Center in Lebanon with her 3 children. Karen Wazen joined Lebanese and refugee children at the centre during psychosocial support sessions.
In August 2022, Karen visited the Caritas Center in Lebanon with her 3 children. Karen Wazen joined Lebanese and refugee children at the centre during psychosocial support sessions.
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Recent advocacy and campaigns
In 2022 and 2023, Karen visited Lebanon, supporting the advocacy work around the cohesion of the host and refugee community, as well as spotlighting UNHCR’s contribution to the host community. In January 2023, Karen hosted a salon-style, closed-circle fundraising dinner in her home to raise funds for UNHCR’s winterization campaign.
In August 2023, Karen revisited Lebanon, where she joined Lebanese and refugee children at the centre during psychosocial support sessions. She also visited Made 51 artisan women at a Lebanese artisan house while they embroidered and sewed pouches and decorative items and shared their individual stories.
Karen's work as a Goodwilll Ambassador
News and highlights
Find the latest news and key highlights about Karen's work as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.