The UN Human Rights Office, together with social impactcommunications agency LoveFrankie, yesterday launched a new initiative harnessing the universal bonding powers of food and storytelling to encourage positive attitudes toward migrants in Australia.
As part of UN Human Rights’ global #StandUp4Migrants campaign, the Australian edition of the initiative features a four-part video series entitled ‘MyGreat Story,’ created by Content Originals in Sydney, showing Australians sharing stories while they cook and dine together.
The series aims to replace narratives of fear, division and exclusion of migrants with those of hope, inclusion and change by creating common ground across cultures and bringing Australians together to hear about their migration experiences and learn how many Australian values are shared.
“There is an urgent need to question and change the way we speak about migrants and migration,” said Pia Oberoi, Senior Advisor on Migration in the Asia Pacific region for the UN Human Rights Office. “Because when migrants are portrayed in a negative light, their human rights are heavily impacted. They face discrimination, are excluded and dehumanised, and communities become divided.”
“Our research has shown how most people in Australia are not against newcomers and that we have much more in common than what divides us,” Oberoi said. “We want to highlight this fact because it is a powerful catalyst for how we can work together to build an inclusive future for everyone no matter where they are from or what they look like.”
According to research commissioned by UN Human Rights, more than two-thirds of Australians would be willing to welcome someone from another country into their neighbourhood. While some 45% of Australians perceive migrants as a burden to Australia’s welfare system, the results also showed that more than 75% of Australians agree that our communities are stronger when we support everyone and some 60% say that people from other countries contribute positively to Australia’s economy and society.
Almost 28% of Australians were born outside the country, according to the 2021 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Multiculturalism is an intrinsic part of the country’s history and culture. Yet many aspects of government policy, public discourse and perceptions around migration continue to be controversial and divisive, with a real potential to drive adverse human rights impacts for migrants and society at large.
The video series features eight recognisable Australians across the fields of sport, fashion, food, art and culture, including artist Emmanuel Asante, hip hop artist and producer Sukhdeep Bhogal (LFresh), chef Alvin Quah, pro surfer Ace Buchan, fashion designer Gary Bigeni, and musicians Lara Andallo, A.GIRL and Charlie Collins. Together they represent the diverse migrant community in Australia, coming from Ghanaian, Filipino, Indian, Malaysian, South African, Maltese, Polynesian, and Indian backgrounds.
Each of the videos showcases a pair sitting down to share a meal and a conversation together after a family dish is prepared in the kitchen. The goal: to help us recognise that food can bring communities together and that we are all made of the same ingredients.
“If you want to learn about someone’s culture you eat their food and you learn so much more … there is no better catalyst,” chef Alvin Quah tells LFresh in one of the videos.
“If COVID-19 and the last few years of bushfires and floods have taught us anything, it’s that we’re stronger together,” said Jo Pretyman, Managing Director of Love Frankie.
“The new change of government also brings a natural revaluation of the status quo,” Pretyman said. “As we navigate the post-covid recovery amid an economic downturn, we feel the time is right to foster greater understanding of each other and mutual respect in our everyday 
lives. Innovation is required to boost the economy and society as a whole. This only comes from working together. Fresh ideas and approaches will be vital. We need to learn from each other.”
At the launching ceremony, UN Human Rights, in collaboration with Google News Initiative, also hosted a workshop for young and emerging journalists to support and encourage reporting in the media that is inclusive of migrant stories. The workshop will showcase tools to help report confidently about migration with the view to achieving a more values-based and inclusive dialogue in Australia’s national media landscape.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is the leading UN entity on human rights. We represent the world’s commitment to the promotion and protection of the full range of human rights and freedoms set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We have a unique role to promote and protect all human rights, help empower people, and assist governments in the Asia Pacific region and around the world.
Love Frankie is a social impact communications agency headquartered in Bangkok. We respond to challenging social and development issues across Asia Pacific. We believe innovative social networking and entertaining media content has the power to change lives. Love Frankie is a part of the M&C Saatchi World Services network, a specialist division of M&C Saatchi focussed on tackling humanity’s most challenging problems in fragile states, conflict zones and developing countries.
