Hiring & Training
Unilever is part of Tent U.S and Tent UK, exploring opportunities to help refugees enter the labor market in these two countries, including through employment or job preparation.
In 2023, Unilever and its wholly-owned brand Ben & Jerry’s, committed to train 1000 refugees, including Ukrainian refugee women, over three years across Europe, including in France, the Netherlands, and the UK. Unilever will train 560 refugees through the Embark program, which trains individuals in business and management skills. Ben & Jerry’s will train 440 refugees via the UP (Unlimited Potential) Collective, which supports refugee entrepreneurs through incubator courses and part-time job placements. In addition, Ben & Jerry’s committed to work with its European suppliers to place 30 refugees in jobs with suppliers over three years. Ben & Jerry’s activism teams will continue to call on governments to remove barriers that prevent refugees and asylum seekers from entering the labor market.
Mentorship
In 2021, Unilever committed to mentoring 50 LGBTQ refugees in London and Liverpool over three years.
Unilever is mentoring refugee women in the Netherlands and UK as part of Tent’s Mentorship Initiative.
In-kind Donation
Unilever committed to implementing initiatives with global and local NGOs in select markets across Europe and the Middle East with the aim of providing skills and job training to enhance livelihoods, improve refugees’ health and well-being, and support their social integration. In addition, Unilever will continue to participate in external platforms and coalitions to raise awareness of the role the private sector can and must take to alleviate the impact of the refugee crisis. Unilever will also champion policies that support refugees’ rights and offer them stability and security, such as the European Union Resettlement Framework.
Unilever-Lifebuoy committed to partnering with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to improve hygiene for Syrian refugees in Lebanon with limited access to clean water and sanitation infrastructure. The Lifebuoy partnership will support 10,000 Syrian refugee mothers and their children over the next 12 months with community behavior change programs and access to soap products that promote healthy hygiene.