Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

On September 20th, President Obama convened a Leaders' Summit for states prepared to make new and significant commitments to support refugees.

 

In addition to contributing billions of dollars to meet the immediate humanitarian need of displaced people and planning to welcome 85,000 refugees this year, the United States rallied other countries to step up their efforts. On September 20, President Obama convened a Leaders' Summit on Refugees with the UN and other heads of state during the UN General Assembly.  This summit follows a vigorous, sustained effort over the last few months to secure new commitments from countries to: increase support for UN humanitarian appeals; create greater opportunities for legal resettlement; and enact policies that allow refugees to be self-reliant.

In the run up to the Leaders' Summit on Refugees, the White House launched a Call to Action to the private sector to increase its efforts in response to the global refugee crisis.

A crisis of this scale requires more than state action.  Drawing on their unique expertise and entrepreneurial spirit, the United States private sector has already launched initiatives aimed at helping refugees regain control over their lives and integrate into their new communities.  But much more must be done.  For this reason, on June 30, the White House launched a Call to Action to the private sector to increase its efforts in response to the global refugee crisis.  To support this Call, the White House challenged the U.S. private sector to stand with the United States and make new, measurable, and significant commitments that will have a long-term, sustainable impact on refugees residing in countries on the front lines of this crisis and in countries of resettlement.  15 companies participated in the launch of this Call to Action, including: Accenture, Airbnb, Chobani, Coursera, Goldman Sachs, Google, HP, IBM, JPMorgan Chase & Co., LinkedIn, Mastercard, Microsoft, TripAdvisor, UPS, and Western Union. To learn more about the Call to Action, click here.

On September 20, the Administration convened a high-level roundtable with a cross-sector of private sector leaders who submitted commitments in response to the President's Call. To date, 51 companies from across the American economy, and representing more than 2.5 million employees, more than $775 billion in annual revenue, and more than $3.2 trillion in market capitalization, have stood with the Administration to demonstrate that private sector innovation and resources can have a durable impact on refugees. These companies have committed to investing, donating, or raising more than $650 million that will provide:  

  • Support for more than 6.3 million refugees across more than 20 countries;
  • Educational opportunities for more than 80,000 refugees, including through digital content, mentorship, and classroom support;
  • Employment opportunities for more than 220,000 refugees, including through mentorship, training, internships, and job placements;
  • Greater financial inclusion and economic integration for more than 4 millions refugees; and
  • Partnerships with more than 70 refugee-serving NGOs.

To learn more about the Partnership for Refugees, click here.

To learn which companies have responded to the Call to Action, click here. 

 Read the White House Fact Sheet with details about the pledges here.