The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has commended Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi and his manager John Shittu for their contributions toward the success of the 2014 World Refugee Day.

The day was marked on June 20.

The world body said in a letter to Shittu, “We, UNHCR, want to say a huge thank you to John Obi Mikel and his manager, John Shittu, for your fantastic support of World Refugee Day this year. Especially at such short notice, with Mikel literally about to board the bus for the airport.”

Head of the UNHCR Global Ambassador Programme, Coco Campbell, who signed the letter, said the 2014 World Refugee Day campaign broke all records in bringing visibility of the refugee cause to new audiences.

“Hundreds of thousands around the world watched our short films, and our social media achieved a reach of over 179 million, with social impressions of nearly 470 million. Many people encountered the refugee story for the first time. Barriers were brought down,” she wrote.

“Whilst we celebrated the strength, resilience and contribution of refugees around the globe, WRD also brought with it the sobering announcement that displacement, because of conflict and persecution, is now over 51 million – its highest level since World War II. So the need for support from influential voices such as yours has never been more appreciated. We still have much important work to do.”