Better Lives Now: Leveraging Refugees’ Talents

September 20, 2018
New York, New York

On September 20, 2018, RefugePoint and the Women’s Refugee Commission, in cooperation with the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, organized Better Lives Now: Leveraging Refugees’ Talents. This side event at the UN General Assembly acted as the official launch of the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative. Other partners contributing to the event were Club de Madrid, Mercy Corps, The B Team, Refugees Deeply, and The Government of Canada.

Better Lives Now refers to the belief that refugees should not have to wait years or decades for formal solutions in order to live the dignified lives they desire. This event built on and responded to the Global Compact on Refugees, which was considered for adoption by member states during the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.

Speakers included: Noubar Afeyan, Founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering and Co-Founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative; Kellie Leeson, Lead consultant of the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative; Kim Campbell, Former Prime Minister of Canada and Member of WLA-Club de Madrid; Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Co-Founder of Aurora Humanitarian Initiative; Robert Hakiza, Co-Founder of YARID; Per Heggenes, CEO of the IKEA Foundation; and Maria Stavropoulou, Deputy Director of the UNHCR Liaison Office in New York. Heba Aly, Director of The New Humanitarian (Formerly IRIN News), moderated the discussion.

Watch the full event by clicking on the link below.