"Celebrating World Refugee Day: Honoring Refugees Around the World"

Who: Valentino Achak Deng, former “Lost Boy” of Sudan and subject of What Is the What by Dave Eggers; Khaled Hosseini, Afghan American novelist and physician; author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns; Philippe Lavanchy, Americas Bureau Director, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Event: Join the World Affairs Council of Northern California as it teams up with UNHCR to celebrate World Refugee Day in San Francisco. Over the past five years the global refugee population has fallen by one third and now stands at the lowest level since 1980, comprising 8.4 million people. A total of 1.1 million refugees went home voluntarily in 2005, including 725,000 to Afghanistan and 70,000 to Liberia, and only 136,000 new refugees fled to neighboring states in 2005 – the smallest number for 29 years. Despite the huge number of Afghans who continue to return home, they remain the largest refugee group, with 1.9 million scattered across 72 countries. Sudanese refugees compose the second largest group, comprising almost 700,000 people. And a growing number of civilians uprooted by violence who remained in their own countries – the group known as internally displaced persons (or IDPs) – is also cause for concern. We are very pleased to host both Khaled Hosseini and Valentino Achak Deng as representatives from the Afghani and Sudanese refugee groups, respectively, and Philippe Lavanchy of UNHCR to bring attention to the plight of the millions of refugees who continue to live in terrible situations around the world and to celebrate the human spirit. Co-sponsored by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Association – San Francisco Chapter, United Nations Association – East Bay Chapter, Stacey’s Bookstore, Human Rights Watch, and Global Exchange.

Admission Costs: Council members, cosponsors, and students: $10; Nonmembers: $20