On 18 July, the First President of Kalmykia, fourth President of FIDE Kirsan Ilyumzhinov met with the Head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ representative office in Russia Vanno Noupech.“First of all, it is necessary to start teaching children chess in refugee camps,” noted Kirsan Nikolayevich, “Children are the most vulnerable and it’s better not to let them have a lot of idle time in their tent camps. It’s necessary to actively engage children. I am sure that we will be able to find volunteers among young chess players who will become chess coaches. ”
In turn, Vanno Noupech noted that the problem of refugees is also one of the main international issues that need to be discussed at various venues.
The endless war in Syria, the fighting in Ukraine, the civil war in the Central African Republic and many other armed clashes force people to leave their homelands. According to a UNHCR representative in Russia, today there are the highest rates of involuntary resettlement in history.
More than 68 million people were forced to leave their homes all over the world. Among them are almost 25.4 million refugees, more than half of whom are under 18 years old.
