What refugees need to resettle | Muhammed Idris

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4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 4 April 2019

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Every minute, 20 people are newly displaced by climate change, economic crisis and political instability, according to the UNHCR. How can we help them overcome the barriers to starting new lives? TED Resident Muhammed Idris is leading a team of technologists, researchers and refugees to develop Atar, the first-ever AI-powered virtual advocate that guides displaced people through resettlement, helping restore their rights and dignity. "Getting access to the right resources and information can be the difference between life and death," Idris says.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This TED Talk features technologist Muhammad Idris, recorded live at TED Residency 2018.
0:10.0	About two years ago, I got a phone call that changed my life.
0:14.0	Hey, this is your cousin, Hassan.
0:18.0	I froze.
0:20.0	You see, I have well over 30 first cousins, but I didn't know
0:24.0	anybody named Hassan. It turned out that Hassan was actually my mom's cousin and had just arrived
0:30.1	in Montreal as a refugee. And over the next few months, I would have three more relatives
0:35.0	coming to Canada to apply for asylum with little more than
0:38.3	the clothes on their back. And in the two years since that phone call, my life has completely changed.
0:45.1	I left academia and now lead a diverse team of technologists, researchers, and refugees
0:50.4	that is developing customized self-help resources for newcomers.
0:55.2	And we want to help them overcome language, cultural, and other barriers that make them feel
1:00.5	like they've lost control over their own lives. And we feel that AI can help restore
1:05.1	the rights and the dignity that many people lose when seeking help. My family's refugee
1:10.7	experience is not unique.
1:13.6	According to the UNHCR, every minute,
1:16.6	20 people are newly displaced by climate change,
1:19.6	economic crisis, and social and political instability.
1:23.6	And it was while volunteering at a local YMSA shelter
1:26.6	that my cousin Hesan and other relatives were sent to,
1:29.3	that we saw and learned to appreciate how much effort and coordination resettlement requires.
1:36.0	When you first arrive, you need to find a lawyer and fill out legal documents within two weeks.
	...

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