In a year of ongoing global turmoil, Independent Media brands are coming together to mark Refugee Week (16-22 June) and World Refugee Day (20 June) through partnerships with Refugee Week, Choose Love and War Child.
The Independent has donated a total of £30,000 of advertising inventory to the cause, with £10,000 for each organisation helping to amplify its outstanding work to the publication’s global audience. This builds on The Independent’s donation of £20,000 gift of inventory to War Child last year.
Its Independent Media stable mates, HuffPost UK, BuzzFeed UK and Seasoned, will also donate advertising to Refugee Week, Choose Love and War Child, signposting community, awareness and fundraising initiatives.
Meanwhile, Tasty UK will be collaborating with Refugee Week on:
Embracing this year’s Refugee Week theme of ‘Community as a Superpower’, The Independent’s Voices section will continue to bring the stories of those platforming the lived experiences as refugees to its own community of 77 million browsers globally. The publication is welcoming longtime War Child Global Ambassador and actor Carey Mulligan to write a special piece on her first-hand experiences of displacement. She reflects on the traumatic effect this has on children and their families, and how charities can offer transformative support to help refugees rebuild lives riven by displacement and dispossession.
Supporting charitable causes is hugely important to the Independent Media audience. In the past 12 months, Independent, BuzzFeed UK and HuffPost UK readers are responsible for:
Meanwhile, the Independent, BuzzFeed UK and HuffPost UK audience is responsible for £714m in charitable donations in the last 12 months. And it doesn’t stop with monetary support. 54% of Independent, BuzzFeed UK and HuffPost UK readers volunteer their time for good causes.
Refugee Week is being championed by leading figures from the cultural sphere, supporters who are calling for fundamental acts of compassion, empathy and community inspired by engagement with art and storytelling.
Writer, actor and presenter Michael Palin rallies for simple acts of generosity, saying ““Put yourself in their shoes. If you were a refugee, uprooted from your own country, often torn away from family and friends, what would you be looking for? I’d be looking for someone to talk to, someone to listen, someone to give me a helping hand in a world of change and confusion. Not a lot to ask, but small simple acts can make a very big difference.”
Renowned actor Brian Cox sees literature, music, and art as a conduit for common humanity. “This Refugee Week, I’m asking you to join me in the Simple Act of Read and Listen. Pick up a book, put on a podcast or play a piece of music and let someone else’s story into your mind and heart. These voices and stories will shake you, move you, and remind us all of the humanity we share.”
Actor and presenter Joanna Lumley also calls for essential acts of reading, listening, learning, and sharing, saying “These small actions help us to see one another more clearly – and that, I believe, is where true change begins.”
Babak Jalali’s film Fremont will form part of Refugee Week’s free film programme. The director remarks that “Shared stories and experiences can create connections and hopefully take the focus away from perceived differences. So I invite you to share a film this Refugee Week and take part in the conversations it inspires.”
Independent Media’s commitment to Refugee Week and World Refugee Day follows the Independent’s long and proud history of campaigning for the rights of refugees, inaugurating its ‘Refugees Welcome’ campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. It continues to stand up at times of displacement and suffering, from the war in Ukraine to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The Independent has also lent its support to Choose Love over the years, with team members raising their hands to volunteer in the charity’s pop-up shop and the publication gifting inventory and promoting Choose Love’s changemaking campaigns.
In a media ecosystem which has often deepened rather than addressed division, The Independent ran an event called ‘Words Matter’ in 2022, bringing together figures from Choose Love and Independent journalists to shine a spotlight on false narratives and the weaponisation of language.
Independent Media is delighted to contribute to a groundswell of learning and compassion this week and beyond, supporting the invaluable work of War Child, Choose Love and Refugee Week, amplifying the voices of those rallying for action, and standing in solidarity with the displaced worldwide.
Chloe Hubbard, UK Editor, The Independent, explained: “As our name makes clear, The Independent is committed to non-partisan, rigorously fact-checked reporting, unbent by propaganda and politics. We also have a proud, unwavering commitment to vulnerable and marginalised people, which is constantly evident in our editorial and our campaigning, including our Refugees Welcome work.
That’s why we are continuing to support Refugee Week and are once again partnering with the vitally important War Child and Choose Love. Never has it been more crucial to hear the stories from those with lived experience, the facts rather than the fiction, and come together to support the people who are escaping unimaginable horrors, just as generations have so proudly done before us.”
Jeff Thurm, Lead of Entertainment, BuzzFeed UK, added: “BuzzFeed is all about community, so we are super proud to help shine a spotlight on the incredible work being done during Refugee Week and connect our audiences to real ways they can get involved.”
Homam Ayaso, Director of Content, BuzzFeed UK, Tasty UK and Seasoned, said: “Every dish prepared by a refugee chef in the UK carries more than flavour. It carries memory, culture, and the journey of starting anew through the language of food. It is a powerful reminder that food transcends borders to bring us together. Tasty UK is proud to take part in Independent Media’s initiatives to mark Refugee Week and World Refugee Day this year.”
Cate Sevilla, Editor of HuffPost UK, commented: “In our current political climate it’s more important than ever to show solidarity, empathy and support for all displaced people around the globe. HuffPost UK is proud to take part in Independent Media’s initiatives to mark Refugee Week and World Refugee Day.”
Josie Naughton, CEO and Co-founder of Choose Love, remarked: ‘We’re so grateful to partner with The Independent again this year to shine a light on the need for humanity in response to rising displacement.
When Choose Love began in 2015, there were 65 million displaced people in the world. By the end of 2025, there are expected to be over 139 million people displaced. As governments tighten aid budgets and restrict access to asylum, more pressure is left on the shoulders of grassroots organisations to deliver the most essential support.
Now, 10 years later, we’re more dedicated than ever supporting our amazing community-led partners around the world who make the lives of refugees and displaced people better every day, bringing hope and humanity to people who need it most.”
Helen Pattinson, CEO of War Child UK, said: “Around the world, 1 in 5 children are living in or fleeing from conflict. In Sudan alone, a child is forced to flee their home every 10 seconds.
“We’re incredibly grateful to The Independent and Independent Media for highlighting our work this World Refugee Day, and hope that by bringing the plight of some of the world’s most vulnerable children – and the work we’re doing to support them – to the forefront of readers’ minds, both they and policy makers will be inspired to take effective action for meaningful change.
“These children deserve more than to be a figure in a report. War Child is working to provide immediate aid, specialist psychological support, and more to allow these children to be children, and to live up to their full potential.”
Lara Deffense, Refugee Week UK Coordinator, concluded: “We’re especially delighted that Independent Media is going big for Refugee Week this year. The media plays such a vital role in shaping the stories and conversations we have around migration and displacement, and it’s brilliant to see national outlets using their platform to share powerful voices and stories that speak to both the heart and mind.”
