How your daily walking, cycling and running can help world’s refugees
- The UN refugee agency’s “2 Billion Kilometres to Safety” campaign calls for people to cover the distance travelled by world’s refugees
- Participants can use their fitness apps or the campaign website to log kilometres and contribute to the global total
The daily news is a constant reminder of the global refugee crisis. But for many living in Hong Kong, a city which has a complicated relationship with refugees – one compounded by its failure to be a signatory to the United Nations’ 1951 Refugee Convention – that crisis can seem a long way away.
“The refugee realities may seem distant from the peace and safety we enjoy every day in Hong Kong,” says Sivanka Dhanapala, the representative in China for UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. “But globally 68.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes and every day people are risking their lives to seek safety.”
Of that 68.5 million, almost 25.4 million are refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18, according to UNHCR figures.
Dhanapala is urging Hongkongers to put their best foot forward and support refugees by taking part in UNHCR’s global campaign, “2 Billion Kilometres to Safety”, that invites people worldwide to cover the distance travelled by refugees annually.
Celebrities backing the campaign include actor and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Ben Stiller.
“Families forced to flee violence and persecution make extraordinary efforts to survive,” says Stiller in a statement. “They are running for their lives, for a safe roof over their heads and a place where they don’t have to live in fear. This is why I’m stepping with refugees and taking part in the ‘2 Billion Kilometres to Safety’ campaign. And I’m asking everyone to join me.”