‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’ supports UNHCR’s #Voices4Refugees
KUWAIT: The annual ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’, which is set to take place on 18 November at 7am Souq Sharq, is partnering with UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency to support its #Voices4Refugees campaign.
#Voices4Refugees is an online awareness campaign launched by UNHCR with the belief that all refugees deserve to live in safety regardless of their religion, nationality or race, and should receive equal treatment for protection and assistance, and opportunities for resettlement. Moreover, this campaign urges to stand with millions of refugees around the world, including Syrian refugees, Rohingya refugees and other refugee communities to make their stories heard. Since its launch in early 2015, more than 50,000 individuals from the MENA region have given their voice through the campaign, a demonstration of solidarity from all around the region. Through its collaboration with UNHCR, Gulf Bank aims to increase the level of solidarity through the campaign.
Ms Laila Al-Qatami, Assistant General Manager for Corporate Communications at Gulf Bank noted the importance of the campaign, saying “Each year the ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’ partners with a leading organization to raise awareness on a worthy cause. This is the second year we are supporting UNHCR’s #Voices4Refugees campaign to help people understand the conditions under which refugees live. Adding your voice is simple, please visit voices.unhcr.org and pledge your support. By adding your voice you will be calling for immediate and practical steps that can improve humanitarian access and the delivery of aid to those who most need it. Additionally, signing up will give you the opportunity to receive refugee stories of endurance, resilience and survival. The ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’ will be donating a portion from each registration to the UNHCR.”
Dr. Hanan Hamdan, Head of UNHCR’s Kuwait Office, said: “The private sector has a significant role to play in reaching out to communities and raising awareness about social and humanitarian causes. Most recently, we are witnessing Kuwait’s private sector stepping up its involvement in the humanitarian response to refugee crisis in the region. UNHCR is committed to strengthen partnerships with Kuwait’s private sector entities and individuals interested in assisting refugees, which is in line with the directives of His Highness The Emir of Kuwait to highlight Kuwait’s role as an international humanitarian centre”
Commenting on the role of Gulf Bank, Dr. Hamdan said: “We are pleased with Gulf Bank’s choice to collaborate with UNHCR for the second year in a row through the Gulf Bank 642 Marathon. We believe this to be a great opportunity to provide audiences in Kuwait with the platform to raise their voices in support of refugees.”
Through this collaboration, the ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’ aims to spread awareness throughout the community about the needs of refugees and calls upon community members to sign up to UNHCR’s #Voices4Refugees campaign. UNHCR works around the world to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge, having fled violence, persecution, war or disaster at home. Since 1950, UNHCR has been protecting the rights and well-being of refugees all over the world, totalling more than 50 million since its establishment. They have provided vital assistance to save lives and build better futures for millions forced from home. Their work and advocacy helps transform broken lives by providing protection, shelter, access to healthcare, and safeguarding individuals.
This walk/run event caters to all levels, from challenging athletes to beginners and even families, this includes four different distances/categories: Family Fun Walk/Run (5KM); Souq Run for regular runners (10KM); Half Marathon for more advanced runners (21KM); and Kuwait’s only Full Marathon (42KM).