World Refugee Day!
Canadians to mark 
World Refugee Day!

On Monday June 20, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and refugee organizations in cities across Canada will hold events to celebrate the courage of refugees and their contribution to Canada. A dozen cities from St. John's, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia have proclaimed the day as World Refugee Day.

"There are countless stories of personal courage by quiet, ordinary people who live and work among us", said Jahanshah Assadi, Representative in Canada of the UNHCR. "They are refugees who have journeyed to Canada to escapeoppression in their homelands".

In Toronto, UNHCR with the support of Amnesty International, Canadian Red
Cross, Medecins Sans Frontieres  (MSF), World Vision, COSTI, Canadian Centre
for Victims of Torture, Toronto Refugee Affairs Council (TRAC), the Canadian
Council for Refugees (CCR), and other participating organizations is
organizing a free public event in the downtown Yonge-Dundas Square to mark
World Refugee Day. The talented line-up of artists and dancers to support
the event will begin at 12:00 noon and continue until 7:00 pm. Gord Downie
opens the event and some of the featured artists are former refugees from
Afghanistan, Congo, Iran, Chile, Ethiopia, Serbia, the Philippines and El
Salvador.

In Montreal, entertainment featuring musicians, refugee women singers and
colourful displays will take place in the Complexe Guy-Favreau, culminating
in a fun-filled picnic.  The event will be hosted by UNHCR with the
participation of Medecins du Monde, Refuge Juan Moreno, Refugee Research
Project, Amnistie Internationale, Centre Afrika, Jardin Couvert -YMCA,
Maison l'Hirondelle, Sante Accueil- CLSC Cote des Neiges, SARIMM, College
Frontiere, Centre de reference multi ecoute, Le Coffret (St-Jerome), and
Ministere de l'Immigration et Communautes culturelles (MICC).

In Ottawa, UNHCR will offer a free screening of "Hotel Rwanda" at Rideau
Centre Famous Players Theatres at 10:00 am.

Special thanks go to the Royal Bank of Canada, Famous Players Theatre, Earth
Water, Indigo Books and Music, Starbucks and CERIUM for sponsoring the World Refugee Day events.

For further information contact:

Nanda Na Champassak: 613-232 0909 ext. 236, email: champass@unhcr.ch

ABOUT UNHCR:
UNHCR works in 115 countries to provide protection and assistance to an
estimated 19 million refugees, and other displaced and needy persons. The UN
refugee agency, which has won two Nobel Peace Prizes, was established by the
UN General Assembly in 1950 and has helped more than 50 million people over
the past five decades.
www.unhcr.ca/wrd

- Thomas Saras (saras@patrides.com) 
 President,  National Ethnic Press And Media Council Of Canada 
http://www.nepmcc.ca/ -