Bahraini filmmaker Omar Farooq named UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador for the MENA

Farooq has worked with UNHCR as a High-Profile Supporter since 2017, beginning with a visit to Bangladesh to highlight the Rohingya refugee crisis.

Bahraini filmmaker and content creator Omar Farooq has been named a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in the Middle East and North Africa. The appointment recognizes his years of work bringing the experiences of people forced to flee to wider audiences. Through documentaries, digital storytelling and public campaigns, he has helped raise awareness and mobilize support for displaced communities.

Farooq has worked with UNHCR as a High-Profile Supporter since 2017, beginning with a visit to Bangladesh to highlight the Rohingya refugee crisis. His advocacy has taken him to the Chad-Sudan border and Renk in South Sudan, where he drew attention to the Sudan emergency. He has also supported UNHCR's Ramadan and winter appeals, and helped raise support for the agency's Refugee Zakat Fund through social media content reaching audiences across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Stories that bring displacement into view

Farooq said the people he has met have brought him into their lives, dreams and struggles, and that his new role carries a responsibility to listen and share voices that might otherwise go unheard. He described the role as a way to help ensure people's stories are heard and remembered.

Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR Senior Advisor and Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, welcomed Farooq's appointment and praised his nearly decade-long commitment to the agency. Khalifa said UNHCR looks forward to continuing their work to raise awareness and mobilize support, adding that creators can use their platforms to build understanding, inspire solidarity and draw attention to displaced communities.

Support for crises receiving less attention

As a Goodwill Ambassador, Farooq will continue supporting refugees around the world, with a focus on crises that receive limited attention as humanitarian needs grow and funding is cut. His work will highlight refugees' needs and experiences, including in protracted emergencies.

Farooq is also developing Beyond Borders, an education-focused initiative with UNHCR that will help young refugees gain skills and tools to tell their own stories. The programme will offer practical skills and mentorship, connect participants with relevant professionals and opportunities through Farooq's network, increase visibility for their work on his platforms and, where possible, help them access resources.

Building skills and opportunity

Beyond Borders supports UNHCR's "50 by 35" vision, which seeks to help refugees in long-term displacement in low- and middle-income countries move beyond reliance on aid through greater self-reliance and durable solutions by 2035. The initiative will give young refugees more ways to develop skills, share their work and connect with opportunities.