The UN Refugee Agency on Monday announced the appointment of the South Sudanese Olympian and professional basketball player Wenyen Gabriel as its newest Goodwill Ambassador. Gabriel is the first basketball player to serve as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Now 29, Gabriel has supported refugees and UNHCR since 2022, when he first returned to South Sudan to witness the humanitarian situation and advocate for people forced to flee. Ahead of his appointment, Gabriel returned to Maban, South Sudan, where he met refugees who fled the conflict in neighbouring Sudan. ‘’Becoming a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador as the world marks this anniversary is deeply meaningful for me,” Gabriel said.