UNHCR Nordic and Baltic Countries 103d ago

The Refugee Speakers Programme is run by UNHCR with support from TEDx. It gives people with refugee backgrounds the opportunity to develop their storytelling and public speaking skills. The programme aims to create space for stories that too often go unheard. When refugee situations are discussed, the focus is often on numbers. The numbers matter, but they do not tell the full story. Behind every number is a person, a family, and a life shaped by experiences of forced displacement. Judy worked in the humanitarian field for many years, including with UNHCR in her home country. In 2022, she was falsely accused in Syria and sentenced to death in absentia. She was forced to flee – first to Lebanon, then on to Dubai – before being selected for resettlement to Sweden. She quickly learned Swedish, pursued her studies, and today works within the Red Cross. Judy will be speaking English.