Showing Revision 8 created 04/04/2019 by Brian Greene.

1. Title:
   What refugees need to start new lives
2. Description:

   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.

3. Speaker:
   Muhammed Idris
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   About two years ago,

   ¶

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   I got a phone call that changed my life.
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   "Hey, this is your cousin Hassen."

   ¶

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   I froze.

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   You see, I have well over
   30 first cousins,
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   but I didn't know anybody named Hassen.
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    It turned out that Hassen
    was actually my mom's cousin

    ¶

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    and had just arrived
    in Montreal as a refugee.
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    And over the next few months,
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    I would have three more relatives
    coming to Canada to apply for asylum
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    with little more than
    the clothes on their back.
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    And in the two years
    since that phone call,
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    my life has completely changed.
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    I left academia
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    and now lead a diverse team
    of technologists, researchers and refugees
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    that is developing customized
    self-help resources for newcomers.
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    We want to help them overcome
    language, cultural and other barriers
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    that make them feel like they've lost
    control over their own lives.
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    And we feel that AI can help restore
    the rights and the dignity
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    that many people lose when seeking help.
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    My family's refugee experience
    is not unique.

    ¶

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    According to the UNHCR,
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    every minute, 20 people
    are newly displaced
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    by climate change, economic crisis
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    and social and political instability.
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    And it was while volunteering
    at a local YMCA shelter
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    that my cousin Hassen
    and other relatives were sent to
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    that we saw and learned to appreciate
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    how much effort and coordination
    resettlement requires.
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    When you first arrive,
    you need to find a lawyer

    ¶

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    and fill out legal documents
    within two weeks.
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    You also need to schedule a medical exam
    with a pre-authorized physician,
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    just so that you can apply
    for a work permit.
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    And you need to start looking
    for a place to live
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    before you receive
    any sort of social assistance.
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    With thousands fleeing the United States

    ¶

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    to seek asylum in Canada
    over the past few years,
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    we quickly saw what it looks like
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    when there are more people who need help
    than there are resources to help them.
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    Social services doesn't scale quickly,
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    and even if communities do their best
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    to help more people
    with limited resources,
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    newcomers end up spending
    more time waiting in limbo,
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    not knowing where to turn.
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    In Montreal, for example,

    ¶

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    despite millions of dollars being spent
    to support resettlement efforts,
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    nearly 50 percent of newcomers
    still don't know
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    that there are free resources that exist
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    to help them with everything
    from filling out paperwork
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    to finding a job.
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    The challenge is not
    that this information doesn't exist.
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    On the contrary, those in need are often
    bombarded with so much information
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    that it's difficult
    to make sense of it all.
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    "Don't give me more information,
    just tell me what to do,"
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    was a sentiment we heard
    over and over again.
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    And it reflects how insanely difficult
    it could be to get your bearings
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    when you first arrive in a new country.
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    Hell, I struggled with the same issues
    when I got to Montreal,
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    and I have a PhD.
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    (Laughter)

    ¶

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    As another member of our team,
    himself also a refugee, put it:

    ¶

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    "In Canada, a SIM card
    is more important than food,
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    because we will not die from hunger."
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    But getting access to the right
    resources and information
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    can be the difference
    between life and death.
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    Let me say that again:
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    getting access to the right
    resources and information
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    can be the difference
    between life and death.
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    In order to address these issues,

    ¶

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    we built Atar,
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    the first-ever AI-powered virtual advocate
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    that guides you step-by-step
    through your first week
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    of arriving in a new city.
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    Just tell Atar what you need help with.
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    Atar will then ask you
    some basic questions
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    to understand your unique circumstances
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    and determine your eligibility
    for resources.
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    For example: Do you have
    a place to stay tonight?
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    If not, would you prefer
    an all-women's shelter?
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    Do you have children?
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    Atar will then generate
    a custom, step-by-step to-do list
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    that tells you everything
    that you need to know,
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    from where to go, how to get there,
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    what to bring with you
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    and what to expect.
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    You can ask a question at any time,
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    and if Atar doesn't have an answer,
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    you'll be connected
    with a real person who does.
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    But what's most exciting

    ¶

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    is that we help humanitarian
    and service organizations
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    collect the data and the analytics
    that's necessary to understand
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    the changing needs of newcomers
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    in real time.
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    That's a game changer.
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    We've already partnered with the UNHCR
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    to provide this technology in Canada,
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     and in our work have conducted
     campaigns in Arabic, English,
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     French, Creole and Spanish.
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     When we talk about the issue of refugees,

     ¶

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     we often focus on the official statistic
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     of 65.8 million forcibly
     displaced worldwide.
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     But the reality is much greater than that.
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     By 2050, there will be
     an additional 140 million people
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     who are at risk of being displaced
     due to environmental degradation.
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     And today -- that is today --
     there are nearly one billion people
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     who already live in illegal
     settlements and slums.
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     Resettlement and integration
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     is one of the greatest
     challenges of our time.
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     and our hope is that Atar can provide
     every single newcomer an advocate.
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     Our hope is that Atar
     can amplify existing efforts
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     and alleviate pressure
     on a social safety net
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     that's already stretched
     beyond imagination.
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     But what's most important to us
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     is that our work helps restore
     the rights and the dignity
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     that refugees lose throughout
     resettlement and integration
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     by giving them the resources that
     they need in order to help themselves.
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     Thank you.

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     (Applause)

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