Lal Moti, 35, and her baby Osmaitara, 3 months, in the Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Bangladesh. More than 620,000 people sought safety in Bangladesh between August and November 2017 after fleeing for their lives from Myanmar. Many women and unaccompanied minors walked barefoot through vast rice fields for days to reach safety. (Pic: Roger Arnold/UNHCR)
Camera IconLal Moti, 35, and her baby Osmaitara, 3 months, in the Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Bangladesh. More than 620,000 people sought safety in Bangladesh between August and November 2017 after fleeing for their lives from Myanmar. Many women and unaccompanied minors walked barefoot through vast rice fields for days to reach safety. (Pic: Roger Arnold/UNHCR) Credit: Supplied

The surprising corporate response to a global crisis

Naomi SteerNews Corp Australia Network

THIS week, it was revealed that the level of forced displacement globally has reached a new, alarming high.

Some 68.5 million people are now displaced according to UNHCR’s annual Global Trends report. That’s one in every 110 people in the world. More than half are children.

On top of this, the report shows the vast majority — 85 per cent — of displaced people are hosted in developing countries that simply don’t have the resources to provide basic services to allow them to rebuild their lives. The resulting poverty can last generations.

We have reached a watershed moment where the global community must come together to deliver a new vision for managing forced displacement and helping host countries who are sheltering people fleeing conflict. You may wonder how we even begin to grapple with solutions. But we can either turn our backs on humanity or we can muster the courage to do something positive.

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We often say that emergencies can be opportunities for change — and this crisis already is driving new thinking, and new approaches to solutions. More and more it is recognised that effective assistance to displaced people must have a long-term vision. It must encompass legal protection, healthcare, education for children, and — importantly — livelihoods training and support for adults.

Somali refugee Ahmed at the fire station in the German city of Furstenwalde where he has joined as a volunteer. The 37-year-old applied for asylum in 2015 after fleeing forced recruitment into the Yemeni civil war. He had volunteered for the Yemeni Red Crescent and took his skills to his new local fire brigade. (Pic: Christian Mang/UNHCR)
Camera IconSomali refugee Ahmed at the fire station in the German city of Furstenwalde where he has joined as a volunteer. The 37-year-old applied for asylum in 2015 after fleeing forced recruitment into the Yemeni civil war. He had volunteered for the Yemeni Red Crescent and took his skills to his new local fire brigade. (Pic: Christian Mang/UNHCR) Credit: Supplied

For example, in Uganda, Australian donations are funding a new vocational training centre in Kyaka II refugee settlement. Construction is well underway and we hope to open the centre later this year, with courses such as mechanics, carpentry, hairdressing and electronics provided to both young refugees and local Ugandans.

In other parts of the world, cash assistance programs are replacing rations and aid distributions, giving refugees independence and bringing economic benefits to the local economy. Refugees should not be pigeon holed as beneficiaries of aid but as people who can make significant contributions to their host communities.

These initiatives, and many more like them, are part of a global movement for change led by UNHCR. Called the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (the CRRF), this new approach lays out a vision for a more predictable and more comprehensive response to displacement crises. As well as being a long-term approach, this new vision demonstrates a shift in thinking towards the significant value refugees can bring to host communities.

When refugees are able to gain access to education and labour markets they are not the only ones to benefit. By building their skills and becoming self-reliant, they contribute to local economies and fuel the development of the communities that host them.

South Sudanese refugee Sarah Kiden, 19 (right) uses an e-voucher to buy vegetables from community member Bako Diana, 32, at the Bidbidi refugee settlement in northern Uganda. UNHCR's agreements with phone companies allow cash transfers for the purchase of essentials, with $10 per month enough to buy food and even a hen to lay eggs. Danish NGO DanChurchAid provides the phones and vouchers and Ugandan phone companies provide the connection. (Pic: Catherine Robinson/UNHCR)
Camera IconSouth Sudanese refugee Sarah Kiden, 19 (right) uses an e-voucher to buy vegetables from community member Bako Diana, 32, at the Bidbidi refugee settlement in northern Uganda. UNHCR's agreements with phone companies allow cash transfers for the purchase of essentials, with $10 per month enough to buy food and even a hen to lay eggs. Danish NGO DanChurchAid provides the phones and vouchers and Ugandan phone companies provide the connection. (Pic: Catherine Robinson/UNHCR) Credit: Supplied

Education and skills are also vital not just for livelihoods during displacement, but for when people can finally return home and begin the task of rebuilding their country. Every displaced person I meet in my work, no matter which country or how long they have been displaced, has one overriding dream — to be able to return home. And when that day comes — whether Syria, South Sudan or Afghanistan — each country will need its returning citizens to have skills, education, know-how to rebuild their homes, schools, local businesses, towns and their nation.

At the same time, this new global vision also recognises that host communities need to be better supported. This support can’t just come from governments and NGOs — the scale of the crisis is now far too big for governments alone. Increasingly, the private sector and civil society are stepping up to the challenge.

Across Asia, the clothing retail chain, UNIQLO, has partnered with UNHCR to contribute in several ways. It provides employment for refugees in its stores and helps fundraise through its networks. It is also sharing its expertise and contacts in fabrics and tailoring to help produce tents for UNHCR’s shelter response.

Ikea also stepped forward, partnering with UNHCR to provide light and renewable energy sources for refugee families living in camps in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. An example of this funding in action is Jordan’s Azraq camp of 20,000 residents becoming the first in the world to be fully powered by renewable energy.

In Australia, we are seeing increased interest from corporates looking at how they can help, and they are approaching us at Australia for UNHCR more and more for workplace giving opportunities.

We have also seen public interest growing more generally. Last year we raised over $38 million — a record for us — working with corporations, communities and individuals. And this year we reach a new milestone, surpassing $250m in Australian donations since we launched our organisation in 2000.

There is no escaping the dire statistics as this new report is published, but I am continually inspired by the generosity and creativity this emergency brings out in people. Engaging with a crisis on this scale isn’t easy or straightforward, but the determination to be part of the solution that I see from civil society, corporates, communities and the refugees I meet, should give us all hope.

Naomi Steer is the national director in Australia for UNHCR,the UN Refugee Agency’s national partner in Australia. Find out more at unrefugees.org.au or on 1300 361 288.