Nujeen Mustafa: First Syrian and Person with a Disability to Brief the UN Security Council

“I am not a number…I am a human.”

These powerful words, spoken by Nujeen Mustafa at her 2017 Tedx Talk, must resonate strongly with the one in 113 people who, like her, struggle with socially-entrenched stigmas that come along with being a refugee.

Nujeen is an extraordinary individual with an incredibly powerful story.

By the age of 16, Nujeen completed the 3,500 mile journey from Syria to Germany- all the while being in a steel wheelchair. Over the course of this journey, however, her resilience did not waver. Throughout all changes she has encountered, Nujeen managed to maintain great optimism, and become a relatable advocate for refugee youth.

Today is a very special day for us here at the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness. This is a special day because we are happy to announce that Nujeen will be the first person with a disability to brief the UN Security Council, and one of very few Syrians that have been invited to speak since the Syrian conflict broke out in 2011 . We very much look forward to hearing her wise words at this briefing, and are grateful that she is representing the voices of the many Syrian refugees who deserve to be heard.

To watch Nujeen’s full address at 3pm EST, please click on the link below!

http://webtv.un.org/live/

To read the press release from Human Rights Watch, please click here.