Geneva – Fresh from a recent viewing at G20 meetings in The Hague, IOM’s virtual reality exhibit Holding On was featured at two Geneva events this week – the UN Human Rights Council meetings at Palais de Nations and the day-long IOM-NGO Humanitarian Consultations.

“There is a lot of interest in the exhibit and the way we’re using VR to bring viewers directly into the lives of internally displaced people (IDPs),” said curator Carlo Mendes.

“We feel the momentum building behind it; the next two months will be very busy. Every week we’re hearing from international partners interested in hosting the exhibit, and from IOM missions who want to use this engaging approach to educate the public and donors about the realities of the lives of IDPs we are assisting around the world.”

The intent of the exhibit is to raise awareness of the plight of the roughly 40 million people displaced within their own countries by conflict. A further 26 million are displaced every year due to natural disasters.

IOM videographers have already captured six VR stories in IDP communities from Colombia and Nigeria to the Philippines. Each two- to three-minute-long feature focuses on a single item an IDP has kept that reminds him or her of the home they were forced to flee. Items as simple as a camera, t-shirt or small bird have come to represent what was lost, and reflect the resilience, hopes and dreams of the principal characters and their families.

“In the next few weeks we will complete several more VR experiences for Holding On. In the meantime, all the content, including conventional videos that do not require VR glasses, and feature stories about each of our collaborators, are available on the exhibit’s website,” Mendes said.

Visit the Holding On website at http://holding-on.iom.int/

For more information please contact Carlo Mendes at IOM HQ, Tel: +41 79 285 43 66, Email:  cmendes@iom.int