World Refugee Day 2007 National Activities: Spain

UNHCR held a special ceremony to honour the captain and crew of two Spanish vessels - the Francisco y Catalina and the Montfalcó. The two boats rescued dozens of Eritrean, Ethiopian and Ivorian nationals, most of them asylum seekers.

UNHCR and its corporate partner Microsoft gave the ninemillion.org campaign fresh impetus by organizing an internet chatroom linking refugee Sudanese children in the Moyo refugee camp, North Uganda, with Spanish teenagers gathered at a refugee hosting centre in Madrid's Vallecas neighbourhood.

TV presenter and actor Jesus Vasquez, the special collaborator of España con ACNUR, used WRD to raise awareness about refugees and solicit further funds for the establishment of a radio station at UNHCR-run refugee camps in Dadaab, north-east Kenya.

Madrid's Pozuelo Sports Club organized a fund-raising basketball marathon on 15-16 June. The club also staged a photo exhibition from 15-30 June about young refugees.

On 20 June, automatic ticket machines in train stations around Spain carried the message "ACNUR - World Refugee Day - Courage, Hope, Strength, Dignity."