A Concert for Humanity
22 December 2011
Jerusalem
A star-studded cast of international celebrity singers and Palestinian musicians will stage a “concert for humanity” in Bethlehem on Christmas Day. The performers include the Native American singer and Grammy Award winner Joanne Shenandoah, Grammy-winning Gary Nicholson, Fox Lima of Enigma's Social Song, and Hani Naser. Said Murad from Sabreen is musical director for the event.
Proceeds will go to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which assists millions of Palestine refugees in the Middle East through development and advocacy.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi paid tribute to the musicians and organisers of the event: “This is a celebration of the common humanity that unites us all, and it is a fitting reminder to a global audience about the millions of Palestine refugees in this region, as well as UNRWA, which serves them. They are truly among the dispossessed of the Earth and on Christmas Day it is proper that they should be in our thoughts and prayers.”
Steve Robertson, founder of Project Peace on Earth, outlined the aims of the event: “The concert is both inspirational and aspirational. I hope it will inspire a greater understanding of what peace means in our lives as individuals and as societies. And I hope it will in some special way unite us in our aspirations towards peace.”
The concert, which will run from 19:00 to 21:00 Bethlehem time on 25 December 2011 at the Bethlehem Convention Centre, will be streamed live on the web at www.livestream.com/projectpeaceonearth and It will also be carried live on MTC and PBC.
The event is being organised and produced by Project Peace on Earth and its local partners: Bethlehem Convention Palace, visitpalestine.ps, and Sync Systems. The concert is under auspices of the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The producers and organisers would like to thank the sponsors of the event: CCC, Bethlehem Convention Palace, Netours and Ambassador Hotel, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, MTC -TV, Cairo Amman Bank, Peugeot, and the Palestinian Authority.
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Background information
UNRWA provides assistance, protection and advocacy for nearly 5 million registered Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territory, pending a solution to their plight. The Agency’s services encompass education, health care, social safety-net, camp infrastructure and improvement, community support, microfinance and emergency response, including in times of armed conflict.
UNRWA is funded almost entirely by contributions from States. The Agency’s core budget for 2010-2011 stands at $1.23 billion. In 2009, emergency appeals for the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon amounted to $827.4 million.
For more information please contact:
Christopher Gunness
UNRWA Spokesperson
Mobile: +972 (0)54 240 2659
Office: +972 (0)2 589 0267
c.gunness@unrwa.org
Sami Mshasha
UNRWA Arabic Spokesperson
Mobile: +972 (0)54 216 8295
Office: +972 (0)2 589 0724
s.mshasha@unrwa.org
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