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Today is World Refugee Day. The Day was initiated by the United Nations in 2001 to recognise the resilience and struggle of refugees in finding sanctuary and a better life, occurs at a time when conflicts across the globe are intensifying, bringing more threats and disasters to people everywhere.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE), as well as the global chess community, have always sought to highlight the role chess can play in bringing people together, regardless of backgrounds or differences. This is clearly illustrated by the simple yet powerful motto of FIDE – Gens una Sumus – We are one family.
FIDE’s ongoing commitment to supporting displaced communities, most notably is visible through the Chess for Protection programme in the Kakuma Refugee Camp, in Kenya.
The initiative, running since 2021 in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), has become a gathering space for well over 2,000 participants across 37 schools, and uses chess as a vehicle for education, social interaction and personal development, offering hope and perspective to the participants.
It is FIDE’s staunch belief that, for those who have endured conflict and persecution, chess offers much more than simple recreation.
