Actor Ben Stiller has been supporting the UN Refugee Agency since early 2016. Over the years, he has travelled with UNHCR to meet refugees in Germany, Jordan, Guatemala and Lebanon, supported multiple projects and campaigns to advocate for the rights of refugees and helped to elevate their voices in media and social media. Ben was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador in July 2018.
In 2019, Ben
visited Lebanon just before the 8th anniversary of the Syrian conflict. He met
refugee families struggling to survive, including Yazan, an 8 year old who was
selling vegetables on the street to help support his family. Upon returning
from Lebanon, Ben called for urgent support for the millions of Syrian refugees
living on “a knife’s edge” and raised awareness about their plight. He spent
the remainder of 2019 advocating for support for Syrian refugees and helping to
raise funds. He travelled to Washington, DC and testified in front of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee imploring the US government to “not look away” and
to continue providing vital and much needed support.
In addition
to field travel, Ben has played a key role in UNHCR projects and campaigns. He
has filmed multiple fundraising videos over the years in support of UNHCR
emergency appeals including for winter, Covid-19 and Syria. In sum, his content
has generated over $3 million (including matched funds) and counting. In early
2020, he travelled to Albany, New York where he participated in a press
conference at the State Capitol advocating for support of resettled refugees in
New York. In 2019, Ben supported the launch of #EveryoneCounts by using his
platform to speak with former refugee and supermodel, Adut Akech, giving attention
to her experiences of fleeing from South Sudan.
In 2018, Ben
narrated UNHCR’s 1 Billion Miles to Safety Campaign promo video. To mark World
Refugee Day that same year, he appeared in a special edition Buzzfeed Tasty
film, alongside writer and former Iraqi refugee Ahmed Badr. In support of our
#WithRefugees campaign, Ben participated in an advocacy film encouraging the
global public to stand in solidarity with refugees, and he spoke at UNHCR’s
event in the UN General Assembly Hall ahead of the historic UN Summit on
Refugees & Migrants in September 2016. He has also participated in numerous
other fundraising, advocacy and media events.
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