Osborne Clarke's Refugee Aid Action Group (OC RAAG) welcomed Graham Wood to deliver a talk discussing the global context of forced displacement in a firm-wide webinar on 23 June 2022.

Graham works on issues of migration and displaced people, predominantly in countries including Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the past thirty years, he has been involved in setting up and managing refugee camps, assisting returning refugee populations and working on the root causes of conflict which result in forced migration.

Osborne Clarke's Head of Business Development, Richard Cliff, hosted the webinar, in which Graham drew upon his personal experiences to provide an insightful overview of the international legal framework around forced migration and the impact of the current UK narrative. The Q&A session following the talk touched on the importance of legal pro-bono work, the question of corporate support in regards to humanitarian aid and the links between a forward-looking, integrated model to address forced migration and Osborne Clarke's transformation drivers, in particular urban dynamics and digitalisation.

Osborne Clarke Partner Kevin Barrow, for whom the event held personal significance, commented:

The initiative of OC RAAG and, I am sure, for many people at organisations we work with. My father was a refugee at the age of four in 1942 and his traumatic experiences then affected him his whole life until he died earlier this year. I often wonder how many Afghan, Yemeni, Sudanese, Ukrainian, Syrian, Iraqi, Burmese and other children and adults have recently been, or are being, scarred in similar ways. How will that affect them and society in coming decades? And what could be done better?

When listening to Graham's talk, what struck me most was the need displaced people have for opportunities to work and learn, and how existing  systems in many countries often prevent them working or receiving secondary (and higher) education. Getting the response to the crisis right, and ensuring we recognise and help realise the value of so many affected individuals, is crucial, and it's great to see our firm play its part.

The 'Refugees: Reactions & Responses' webinar event follows recent War Child Emergency Aid fundraising programme championed by OC RAAG in which over £40k+ was raised.  War Child is a leading charity specialising in providing life-changing support to vulnerable children, their families and their communities displaced by conflict.

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