UNHCR Malaysia AFC Kick Off Pact to Support Refugees through Football

Title: UNHCR Malaysia AFC kick off pact to support refugees through football

Type: Project (ongoing)

Location: Malaysia

Name of responsible persons:

Source: UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency

Date: 05 July 2017

The article discusses a partnership launched between UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on 21 June 2017, to support the social development of refugee communities in Malaysia through football. Richard Towle, UNHCR Representative talks about their primary objective behind the joint initiative “Sporting events also have the ability to unite people - no matter their origin, religious belief, or immigration status. We have seen how sports can break down barriers between refugee and non-refugee children, and foster acceptance and understanding among these communities”.

The project aims to provide refugees with opportunities for self-reliance, empowerment, education, and social inclusion through the medium of sports-related activities. Majority of the refugees are from Myanmar who due to lack of legal status in the host countries, face a number of challenges including lack of employment and educational opportunities and social exclusion.

The summary was created from UNHCR’s website. Follow this link for more details.