Ms. Yao Chen, UNHCR Honorary Patron for China
With the help of the UNHCR Manila Office, Yao Chen visited the Philippines and met refugees there on 5-8 June 2010.
She traveled with mainland and Hong Kong reporters to have a close look at refugee situation and what UNHCR was doing.
Yao Chen was impressed by the refugee’ perseverance and determination to fulfill their dreams and pass on their hopes to the next generation. She met a refugee who said that he hoped his son would eventually become a congressman in the Philippines. “The sky is the limit to what can be achieved,” Yao Chen said.
She was fully committed and showed great compassion for refugees. She spoke to refugees with genuine interest and respect.
On 20 June, World Refugee Day, UNHCR was in spotlight at the Expo. The Refugee Agency invited Yao Chen, Honorary Patron for China, to attend a panel discussion at the UN Pavilion from 1030 to 1130 to discuss her recent mission to the Philippines. The discussion was facilitated by the famous TV Anchor Chen Chen from Dragon TV – the nationwide satellite TV station based in Shanghai.
The panel discussion with Yao Chen on the 20 June was a great success, with enormous media attention and public interest. Yao Chen talked to a live audience about her visit, her findings and feelings. At the end of the discussion, UNHCR organized a ceremony and she was presented with a plaque by the Regional Representative formally recognizing her year-long role.
2010: Media coverage and public awareness building
The media coverage around WRD was remarkable. The first coverage ran on 5 June when Yao Chen embarked on her trip to the Philippines. Throughout her mission she was sharing her thoughts and feelings and uploading photos. There was a lot of media attention – on-line, electronic and printed media. Several media partners went on the mission to the Philippines which helped drive coverage. UNHCR invited sohu.com, a major internet company, to join the field visit. Sohu.com put up a feature photo story on 7 June, triggering great public attention and numerous re-runs of the story on other online sites. UNHCR produced a 7-min video after the Philippines field visit and put it on sina.com and sohu.com. The media attention reached its peak on 20 June, with coverage of UNHCR, Yao Chen, World Refugee Day appearing across all major media channels. Yao Chen’s company also organized coverage in fashion magazines, TV entertainment channels, etc. As a result, public awareness in China about refugees and related issues was greatly raised.
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Background:
Movie star, a very popular figure on sina twitter, know as the “Twitter Queen”
Movie star, a very popular figure on sina twitter, know as the “Twitter Queen”
Yao Chen's engagement with UNHCR:
April 2012 : Field visit to the refugee camp in Ethiopia
Yao Chen will visit Dollo Ado and Jijiga of Ethiopia with the UNHCR staff in April 2012.
March 2011 : Field visit to the refugee camp in Mae Sot, Thailand
"I was deeply touched by how the refugees keep their dignity," said Yao Chen, UNHCR's honorary patron for China, after spending two days visiting refugees in Mae La camp, home to nearly 29,000 registered refugees and an estimated 16,000 unregistered refugees, all from Myanmar. "The refugees are beautiful inside. They have dignity and kindness, and poverty does not destroy their kindness."
More about the refugee situation in Thailand
June 2010: Field visit to urban refugees in the Philippines
With the help of the UNHCR Manila Office, Yao Chen visited the Philippines and met refugees there on 5-8 June 2010.
She traveled with mainland and Hong Kong reporters to have a close look at refugee situation and what UNHCR was doing.
Yao Chen was impressed by the refugee’ perseverance and determination to fulfill their dreams and pass on their hopes to the next generation. She met a refugee who said that he hoped his son would eventually become a congressman in the Philippines. “The sky is the limit to what can be achieved,” Yao Chen said.
She was fully committed and showed great compassion for refugees. She spoke to refugees with genuine interest and respect.
“To visit and see urban refugees in Manila helped me understand their problems,” said Yao, “I’d like to use my prominence as a public figure to raise awareness in China for these refugees.” Yao updated her twitter several times daily during the visit. UNHCR and refugees had been repeatedly mentioned on her twitter feed in the following months.
June 2010: Speaking for UNHCR at the Shanghai Expo
On 20 June, World Refugee Day, UNHCR was in spotlight at the Expo. The Refugee Agency invited Yao Chen, Honorary Patron for China, to attend a panel discussion at the UN Pavilion from 1030 to 1130 to discuss her recent mission to the Philippines. The discussion was facilitated by the famous TV Anchor Chen Chen from Dragon TV – the nationwide satellite TV station based in Shanghai.
The panel discussion with Yao Chen on the 20 June was a great success, with enormous media attention and public interest. Yao Chen talked to a live audience about her visit, her findings and feelings. At the end of the discussion, UNHCR organized a ceremony and she was presented with a plaque by the Regional Representative formally recognizing her year-long role.
2010: Media coverage and public awareness building
The media coverage around WRD was remarkable. The first coverage ran on 5 June when Yao Chen embarked on her trip to the Philippines. Throughout her mission she was sharing her thoughts and feelings and uploading photos. There was a lot of media attention – on-line, electronic and printed media. Several media partners went on the mission to the Philippines which helped drive coverage. UNHCR invited sohu.com, a major internet company, to join the field visit. Sohu.com put up a feature photo story on 7 June, triggering great public attention and numerous re-runs of the story on other online sites. UNHCR produced a 7-min video after the Philippines field visit and put it on sina.com and sohu.com. The media attention reached its peak on 20 June, with coverage of UNHCR, Yao Chen, World Refugee Day appearing across all major media channels. Yao Chen’s company also organized coverage in fashion magazines, TV entertainment channels, etc. As a result, public awareness in China about refugees and related issues was greatly raised.
