Yusra Mardini Appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, announced the appointment of Syrian refugee and Olympic athlete Yusra Mardini as a Goodwill Ambassador.

Since her selection for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Mardini has worked closely with UNHCR, highlighting with her own inspiring performances the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team and the wider global refugee crisis.

She has become a powerful voice for the forcibly displaced across the world and a powerful example of their resilience and determination to rebuild lives and positively contribute to host communities.

At the UN General Assembly in September 2016, Mardini advocated for the rights of refugees to have access to safe shelter, education, livelihoods and training opportunities.

In January 2017 she represented UNHCR at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where she was the youngest participant. Addressing high profile audiences she stressed that, with the average length of exile now standing at 17 years, refugees need hope for their future and the one of their children, and not just a life in limbo.