The Refugee Nation is a nonprofit collective based in New York that promotes the protection of refugees and combats the discrimination they often face. In 2015 the organization conceived a symbolic nation representing the refugee population worldwide, currently numbering over 70 million. It commissioned Syrian artist Yara Said to create a national flag and Syrian musician Moutaz Arian to compose an anthem.

The Refugee Nation was formally introduced to the world during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, where ten refugee athletes competed under its flag and were announced by its anthem. Since then, the flag has been on view at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, was acquired for the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and in 2018 flew from the mast of a ship on the lead float in Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval parade.