By Kim Nelson, UNHCR

LONDON –  On Wednesday evening the 2018 International Somali Awards (ISA) were held in London to honour the achievements of the Somali diaspora around the world. The ISA ceremony shone a light on the successes of Somalis in the field of sports, entertainment, education, innovation and business, as well as Somali organisations which are making important contributions to their own communities.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, was supporting this year’s awards, which took place in the historic Church House in Westminster, home to the United Nation’s first Security Council meeting in 1946. UNHCR’s Special Envoy on the Somali Refugee Situation, Ambassador Mohamed Abdi Affey was also in London to present an award at this year’s ceremony.

Although an evening of celebration, the International Somali Awards also  stood as a reminder of the challenges which lay ahead for Somalia, a country that has been wrought by decades of conflict, famine and instability.

At present, 5.4 million Somalis are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, 1.5 million Somalis are displaced within the country, and over 800,000 Somalis have been forced to flee to countries in the surrounding region. People attending the ceremony wore red badges with the word nabad (meaning ‘peace’) to commemorate the October bombing in Mogadishu, which killed over 300 people.

Read more: Awards honor achievements of worldwide Somali community

Source: UNHCR