“Everyday we listen to harrowing stories of people fleeing for their lives, across dangerous borders, and unfriendly seas”. The Syrian war has driven almost 4 million people over the borders; over 7 million are on the run inside the country; over half the Syrian population has been forced to flee.

In a powerful, moving talk, Melissa Fleming of the UN’s refugee agency shares the story of Doaa, a 19 year old Syrian refugee that made the decision along with her fiancé to take the risk of crossing the Mediterranean Sea in order to make it to the promise of Europe.

Melissa Fleming asks why so little is being done to stop the wars, the persecution and the poverty that is driving so many people to the shores of Europe. The stark fact remains, no refugee would be on those dangerous boats if they could thrive where they are and no one would put their life savings in the hands of those notorious smugglers if there was a legal way to apply to migrate.

(Video edited by Pnevma Productions)

Melissa Fleming is a leading communications professional, working to draw attention, drive empathy and generate support for the world’s 50 million refugees and displaced people. As Head of Communications and Chief Spokesperson at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), she leads media teams to bring news and stories of people on the run to the public consciousness.

She is a champion for public communication through social media, including on her own Twitter account. She also leads an innovative multi-media production team producing refugee stories of survival and resilience. She believes in the power of public speaking to move audiences. Her TED talk, “Let’s help refugees thrive, not just survive,” has been viewed over 700,000 times around the world and has been subtitled in 20 languages. She is also co-organizer of TEDxPlaceDesNations in Geneva. She writes a regular column for the Guardian and is a contributor to UNHCR’s blog.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx