Geneva, 13 June 2013 – A week ahead of World Refugee Day (June 20), the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is launching a campaign to highlight the impact of war on families.  A long list of celebrities have signed up to the "1 family" campaign, which features video messages and a unique call to action project.

Against a backdrop of massive concurrent refugee emergencies in Syria, Mali, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo, the "1 family" campaign reminds audiences that the casualties of war are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters - families.

The celebrity videos show how warfare can change a family’s future in just one minute, but also how refugee families can be helped and find hope even during times of hardship.

Showing their support for this year’s World Refugee Day, Lady Antebellum said, "Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict millions of families have been forced to leave their homes. Families just like ours.  Desperate and scared, most have fled with only the clothes on their backs. They need our help.  They need our hope.  Please take a minute and join us and help UNHCR protect and support a family."

UNHCR’s Honorary lifetime Goodwill Ambassador, classical singer Barbara Hendricks emphasized the need to protect families:  "This World Refugee Day, as we look around us and see so many families threatened, devastated and destroyed by war and conflict, by persecution and discrimination, we must unite together and act together, as one family, and show our solidarity for refugee families across the world."

Recent conflicts have forced record numbers of families to leave everything behind. It’s estimated that two families flee from violence or persecution each minute.

A unique call to action project UNHCR commissioned renowned photographer Brian Sokol who conceived a unique project called The Most Important Thing. The photo project reveals – through words and pictures- the heart-wrenching decisions refugee families must make when they are forced to flee their homes. The portraits take us on a harrowing journey by focusing on what families took, and recounting how they survived.

On World Refugee Day, UNHCR is asking the public to step into the shoes of a refugee - if only for a moment - by contemplating what they would take if forced to flee. People can upload a photo of themselves with their chosen object, or tweet about it through the World Refugee Day website www.unhcr.org/1family board dedicated to the project.  Several celebrities have already taken part.

Full list of celebrities who have recorded World Refugee Day video messagesAdriana Pérez Cañedo - Mexican Journalist (Periodista)Alek Wek – International supermodel, former refugee from SudanBarbara Hendricks – Classical singer and Honorary Lifetime UNHCR Goodwill AmbassadorJesus Vazquez – Spanish TV presenterJuan Fernando Velasco, famous Ecuadorian singerJuanes –Latin American music legendKhaled Hosseini – International best-selling author of The Kite Runner, former refugee from AfghanistanLady Antebellum – US Country music superstarsMaia Von Lekow – Kenyan songwriter and musicianNicole Grimaudo – Italian actressOsvaldo Laport – Uruguayan actorTony Hung – Hong Kong TV presenter

The "1 family" campaign launches on 13 June and continues until 31 December.

About World Refugee Day, June 20 2013

On World Refugee Day, June 20, UNHCR commemorates the strength and resilience of the more than 40 million people around the world forced to flee their homes due to war or persecution. Multiple refugee emergencies have forced record numbers of people to flee – yet the vast majority of media coverage given over to the conflicts in Syria, Mali, South Sudan and DRC, rarely focuses on the human cost of war. The "1 family" campaign aims to remind the world that the victims of war are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters and that even 1 family torn apart by war is too many.