Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim Awarded by Refugees International

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is the recipient of Refugees International’s 2020 Richard C. Holbrooke Award for her advocacy for indigenous communities impacted by climate change in Chad and worldwide. Refugees International is giving their awards virtually in 2020, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Refugees International’s Climate Displacement Program advocates for human rights, improved assistance, and solutions for vulnerable communities and individuals uprooted by disasters exacerbated by climate change. 

The COVID-19 pandemic underlines the vulnerability of displaced communities, including those impacted by climate change. This vulnerability only underscores the importance of halting climate change and building resilience among climate affected populations — even as we address the COVID-19 pandemic.

In accepting the award, Ms Ibrahim stressed that “the COVID-19 crisis must also be a lesson learned in how we invest in our environment, how we protect our natural resources, and how we conserve our biodiversity. That can help us deal with other crises that will come. It is just the beginning. If we do not protect our natural resources, we will have more severe pandemics. But we don’t want that. So let’s invest in our people and in the natural world.”

Watch a video message from Hindou Ibrahim below.