Ahmed Badr

About Ahmed

Ahmed Badr is an Iraqi-American author, social entrepreneur, poet, former refugee, and has been a supporter of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, since 2017. His work focuses on reframing and reclaiming the power of tragedy, and he is dedicated to empowering refugee youth to tell their own stories "on their own terms, with power and dignity". 

In 2006, Ahmed's home in Baghdad was bombed, so he and his family relocated to Syria where they lived for two and a half years before receiving approval to be resettled to the United States.  

He is the founder of Narratio, a global platform that activates, supports and highlights the creative expression of displaced youth through publishing, partnerships, workshops, and fellowships. He is author of While the Earth Sleeps We Travel (Andrews McMeel, 2020), a collection of stories, poetry and art from young refugees; storyteller of the UNPACKED: Refugee Baggage exhibit; host of the Resettled podcast produced by Virginia Public Media; and also host of the World Bank’s #Youth4Climate Live series. A recent graduate of Wesleyan University, he serves as a Young Leader in the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth. 

Ahmed performed his poem A Thank-You Letter From the Bomb That Visited My Home, at UNHCR’s World Refugee Day event in New York alongside the Secretary-General in 2017.  In 2018, he marked World Refugee Day with a special edition Buzzfeed Tasty film where he appeared with UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Ben Stiller.  In 2019, he travelled to Trinidad and Tobago with UNHCR where he spoke to students participating in Model UN activities and facilitated storytelling workshops with displaced youth.  Over the years Ahmed has attended multiple donor cultivation and media events, performing his poetry and sharing his story.