Hoda, together with Mehdi Sadeghiha, CEO of Hoda, collaborated with the Asian Mayors Forum in organizing a cultural event marking International Migrants Day. The program used cinema and open dialogue as a way to bring greater attention to the lived experiences, needs, and capacities of migrant communities in Iran.
The event was held at Balkh Mansion and attended by representatives of international organizations as well as members of the Afghan migrant community. Participants included Lalini Veerassamy, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Iran, and representatives of UNHCR, including Tomoya Somejima and Farshud Farzin.
The program began with a screening of Majid Majidi’s film Baran, which portrays aspects of the hardships and human experiences of Afghan migrants in Iran. The screening was followed by a video message from Amy E. Pope, Director General of IOM, and a discussion on migrants in Iran, their needs, the challenges they face, and possible ways to address those challenges.
The conversation also highlighted the importance of looking beyond migrants only through the lens of vulnerability. Participants discussed the skills, experiences, and potential of migrant communities, as well as the need to mobilize different institutional and social capacities to protect their rights and respond more effectively to their needs.
For Hoda, collaborating on initiatives like this is part of a broader effort to create stronger connections between migrants, refugees, volunteers, professionals, and organizations that can contribute to better access to information, shared experience, and social support. The event offered an opportunity to move beyond statistics and policy discussions and engage more directly with the human stories and lived realities of migration.
