You can download the Press Release in PDF
September 2010
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- Enables refugees to use mobile phones to register and search for loved ones via an anonymous database
- Millions of refugees in Africa and elsewhere could benefit from this project
- Commitment announced at Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting in New York
- Successful pilot in Uganda expands to other countries of Africa
In support of the millions of people who have fled from conflict and disaster areas, Ericsson and Refugees United, in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and mobile operator MTN in Africa, have launched a project to locate and reconnect refugee and IDP (internally displaced persons) families through the innovative use of mobile phones and internet.
Presented to governments and business leaders at the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting in New York today, the initiative started with a pilot deployment in northern Uganda at the beginning of September. The application is now being extended to Congolese camps in western Uganda -with more than 70,000 women and children- and Dadaab camp in Kenya – the world’s largest refugee camp, with more than 500,000 people.
Bob Harrison, CEO Clinton Global Initiative:
Through the use of modern technology, in particular mobile phones, the amount of time a person spends looking for lost loved ones can be dramatically reduced from years to weeks or even days. For Yonas, a 53-year-old Eritrean man who lost touch with his wife and daughter when he escaped through Zimbabwe and South Africa, it took less than a week to find them through the Refugees United tool, after looking for over 2 years by other means. The family was reunited within just a few weeks.
David and Christopher Mikkelsen, Directors, Refugees United:
“On a recent implementation visit with UNHCR to Uganda, we witnessed long lines of refugees wanting to sign up to the service to find missing family members. Most refugees have used a mobile phone before so they feel secure in knowing how it works, and they give only information they are comfortable in sharing, to reconnect.”
Only weeks after being launched in Uganda, more than 4500 refugees have registered, a considerably higher number than possible with traditional methods which would have taken an unknown number of years to achieve a similar level.
António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, says:
“The role of private sector is increasingly important for humanitarian assistance. Lending their knowledge and expertise to support the refugee cause is crucial as many of these projects would otherwise be outside of our reach. Allowing for refugees access to state of art technology in order to connect with and reach out to family members they have lost contact with is fundamental.”
According to UNHCR, nearly 30 percent, some 10.2 million out of 36.5 million, of the agency’s people of concern live in sub-Saharan Africa. Two of the top five refugee-producing countries are in Africa, namely Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Emannuel Jal, Sudanese musician and former child soldier, says:
“It was amazing and heart-warming to be able to visit Uganda and to see how thrilled the refugees were at the prospect of being able to reconnect with their lost loved ones. It really magnified how powerful and life changing this new technology is, it will change the lives of millions of refugees worldwide”
Anthony Katamba, General Manager, MTN Uganda, says
“As a company and leader within our community, MTN understands the need to help where we can and have a deep emotional attachment to this project. Mobile telephony has contributed significantly to the growth of emerging markets, and we are proud to be part of this innovative use of the mobile phone to reunite displaced families in the Great Lakes region,”
Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson, says:
“For well more than a decade now, through our Ericsson Response program, we have played an active role in responding to natural disasters or other human suffering. A sad part of that suffering is often the separation of families when large numbers of people become refugees or displaced. This commitment addresses this tragedy directly by helping reconnect those who have lost contact with their loved ones.”
The program enables refugees to use mobile phones to register and search for loved ones via an anonymous database, and subsequently reconnect, using mobile text messaging (SMS) or mobile internet. The information registered may be accessed by refugees and NGOs caring for displaced people, and used to quickly put them in touch with their families.
Refugees United also provides the service via computers and internet, but with more than 5 billion mobile subscriptions today the service via mobile phones is highly relevant. In Africa less than 2 percent of people have access to computers, compared to more than 45 percent that have a mobile phone.
In offering the Refugees United service, Refugees United will create, maintain and update the database while Ericsson will provide the mobile application, technology and systems integration to enable the application in mobile networks. MTN will host and offer the service on their networks, and UNHCR will help to implement the project in the different refugee settlements.
Notes to editors:
Refugees United mobile site:
Our multimedia content is available at the broadcast room: www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room
Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company’s portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.
Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the “prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 80,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 206.5 billion (USD 27.1 billion) in 2009. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT
Ericsson
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About the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 125 current and former heads of state, 15 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. The CGI community also includes CGI University (CGI U), a forum to engage college students in global citizenship, MyCommitment.org, an online portal where anybody can make a Commitment to Action, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young leaders from business, government, and civil society. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org
Refugees United
Refugees United is a 501c3 non-profit helping refugee families that have lost contact with loved ones during escape from conflict with an anonymous platform to reconnect. Leveraging the power of mobile and Internet technologies, Refugees United provides a collaborative platform enabling NGOs and refugees themselves to exchange information on missing family across borders and conflicts to reconnect. Please visit www.refunite.org
Helene V. Sorensen
Outreach officer
Tel: +45 3127 3972
Email: hvs@refunite.org
Twitter: twitter.com/refunite
Facebook: www.facebook.com/refunite
About Emmanuel Jal
Emmanuel Jal has won worldwide acclaim for his unique style of hip hop with its message of peace and reconciliation born out of his experiences as a child soldier in Sudan. His music can be heard alongside Coldplay, Gorillaz, and Radiohead on the fundraising “War Child — Help a Day in the Life” album, as well as in three ER episodes, the National Geographic documentary God Grew Tired of Us, and in the feature film Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Emmanuel spoke at TED Global, rang the bell at the NY Stock Exchange, and released his third album, autobiography and documentary all named “War Child” in 2008. In 2010 Emmanuel made his acting debut in Pathe/Time Warner’s ‘Africa United’ which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Despite his accomplishments in music, Jal’s biggest passion is for Gua Africa. Besides building schools, the nonprofit provides scholarships for Sudanese war survivors in refugee camps, and sponsors education for children in the most deprived slum areas in Nairobi. For almost 2 year’s now, Jal has been eating one meal a day in his campaign ‘Lose to Win’ to build a school in Leer, Southern Sudan, where Emma McCune is resting.
UNHCR
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people. In more than five decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of some 6,600 people in more than 110 countries continues to help about 34 million persons.
Needa Jehu-Hoyah
Assoc External Relations Officer
UNHCR Uganda
Tel: +256 (0) 414 230 011
+256 (0) 414 231 231
Email: jehuho@unhcr.org
ABOUT THE MTN GROUP
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications group, operating in 21 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN”. As at 31 March 2010, MTN recorded 123,5 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. The MTN Group is a global sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and has exclusive mobile content rights for Africa and the Middle East. Visit www.mtn.com and www.mtnplay.com
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Download the Press Release in PDF
Watch the video Press Release on our blog
Watch the announcement at CGI with Bill Clinton on the refunite site.
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