Dancers at the World Refugee Day celebration organized by UNHCR and the Government of Azerbaijan
World Refugee Day was observed in many different ways around the world, from rock and classical music concerts to conferences and memorial services, and in Azerbaijan, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the government of Azerbaijan organized a joint event on 18 June 2009 at the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Concert Hall with the theme: “Real People, Real Needs.”
The audience had an opportunity to watch a short video produced by UNHCR with images of refugee and internally displaced children around the world. This event also included singing, traditional and national dancing and poetry recitals by Afghani, Iranian, Iraqi, Chechen and Azeri refugees and displaced children. Attendees included representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers, members of the Parliament, ambassadors, representatives of the UN and other international organizations, civil society, refugees and internally displaced persons and the media. The Department of Public Information (UN DPI) Office in Azerbaijan provided messages of the UN Secretary-General and the Commissioner for Refugees along with the press release in Azerbaijani, English and Russian languages and offered complete media support to the UNHCR office for the occasion.
For a complete report on this event, please visit the website of UN DPI Office in Azerbaijan.