Award for International Commitment

The amount of courage that goes into the decision to uproot your family from your home to an unknown world is extraordinary. For 65 years, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has ensured that no one needs to make that journey alone. It is their unflagging dedication to serving some of the world’s most vulnerable populations that we celebrate by honoring UNHCR with the Award for International Commitment at this year’s 2016 Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards Gala, on April 19^th in Washington, DC.

When it was founded in 1950, UNHCR had what now seems an impossibly short mandate of three years, working to respond to those displaced by the Second World War. Now, more than six decades later, they operate in 123 countries across the globe in the midst of the world’s most violent and politically sensitive conflicts. UNHCR works tirelessly to reach the far-flung and isolated victims of war regardless of race, religion, or nationality. UNHCR is working to confront the largest refugee crisis since its founding, as the conflict in Syria has displaced over 12.2 million Syrians who are in immediate need of humanitarian assistance. Not only does UNHCR meet the urgent needs of refugees by providing temporary shelter, food, and healthcare, but also they work as tireless advocates for the protection of refugees and coordinate with governments around the world to provide asylum for and resettle those that have been displaced.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will be honored along with fellow Gibranawardees Unite Lebanon Youth Project, actor and philanthropist Jamie Farr, and The Honorable Suzanne Sareini at AAIF’s 18th annual Gibran Gala. We hope you will join us too. Please purchase your ticket today.

18^th Annual Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards

Wednesday, April 19, 2016

Omni Shoreham Hotel

2550 Calvert Street, NW Washington, D.C.

5:30 Reception | 6:30 Gala

Launched in 1999 by the Arab American Institute Foundation, the Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards is AAIF’s only annual fundraiser. Proceeds support the many projects—including scholarships, leadership training, and educational programs—of the foundation.