LONDON — Shook has been appointed to lead a project for UK for UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency’s national charity partner for the UK – to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, after a competitive pitch.

The agency, which was co-founded by ex-Mischief strategy and creative chiefs Gemma Moroney and Damon Statt a year ago with backing from Hope&Glory, is working with the in-house team at UK for UNHCR on the project across a range of paid, earned, shared and owned channels.

To mark the 28 July anniversary of the 1951 convention – which defined who a refugee is in law and set out the human rights of women, men and children fleeing war and persecution to seek safety in another country – the Shook team came up with the idea of ‘The Refugee Dictionary’: a dictionary that defines only the word ‘refugee’ but in personal, emotive and thought-provoking ways.

Submissions have been made by people who have sought refuge in the UK or whose friends or family members were refugees, and those keen to celebrate the positive role of refugees in their community.

Contributions have also come from the Archbishop of Canterbury and Chief Rabbi, from Jasvir Singh OBE and Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Great Britain, as well as Lord Alf Dubs, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and actor David Morrissey, artist and educator Professor Helen Storey and the first female Syrian refugee pilot and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Maya Ghazal.

Moroney told PRovoke Media: “It’s a real privilege to be working on this important cause and milestone. We hope it will connect more people with the charity’s work and celebrate Britain’s centuries-long tradition of providing refuge.

“The campaign aims to remind us of the rich tapestry of stories and futures made possible because of this significant human rights convention and celebrate the UK’s long tradition of giving refuge. It is hoped the project will bring thousands of new meanings to the word ‘refugee’ and highlight that refugees aren’t confined or defined by one word but are individuals with myriad rich stories, hopes and lives.”


Picture credit: PA