PRESS RELEASE: Major Global Companies Pledge Support For Refugees Fleeing Ukraine
Members of the Tent Partnership for Refugees, including Airbnb, Amazon, Chobani, FedEx, Pfizer, Uber, and Unilever commit to short- and longer-term support for people leaving Ukraine and refugees worldwide
NEW YORK, March 22, 2022 — More than 50 major companies with operations around the world have joined together and today pledged to provide for the immediate needs and additional support to people fleeing Ukraine. More than 3.5 million people have fled the country since Russia’s invasion began on February 24.
In a statement, ABN AMRO, Accor, The Adecco Group, adidas, Airbnb and Airbnb.org, Amazon, APCO Worldwide, Arcadis, Bain & Company, BBVA, Chobani, Danby, Deloitte, Enbridge, FedEx, Finastra, Flores El Trigal, FrieslandCampina, Gap Inc., Genpact, Hilton, IGT Solutions, Ipsos, ISS, Keolis, L’Oréal, Levi Strauss & Co., Liberty Diversified International, LinkedIn, ManpowerGroup, Meta, Novartis, PayPal, Pfizer, PwC, Randstad, Salamanca Alimentos, Shopify, Sitel Group®, Smithfield Foods, Sutherland, TD Bank Group, Telus, Tripadvisor, Uala, Uber, Ubisoft, Uniqlo, Unilever, Virgin, and Wayfair said:
“More than 3 million people have been forced to leave their homes in Ukraine as a result of this brutal, unjust, and senseless war. Like too many times before, lives have been suddenly ripped apart. Loved ones left behind. Fear about what is to come.
We, member companies of the Tent Partnership for Refugees, stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters fleeing Ukraine. We are coming together to offer our support, including by providing for refugees’ most immediate needs; speaking out for their rights; or – if they’re unable to return to their beloved homeland – helping them settle in the new places they will call home.
Today, we stand up for Ukrainians and all refugees displaced around the world who dream of, one day, returning to a home that is safe, free, and welcoming for all.”
The Tent Partnership for Refugees is a global nonprofit and network of 200 companies started by Hamdi Ulukaya, the Founder and CEO of Chobani, in 2016. It works with companies to help integrate refugees in their new communities. In September 2021 Tent formed the Tent Coalition for Afghan Refugees to help Afghans in the U.S. who were forced to leave their country last year.
“The refugee crisis isn’t just a problem for governments and nonprofits to solve,” Ulukaya said. “Businesses have a responsibility to be part of the solution, bringing their innovation, their resources, and their voice to support displaced people around the world. More and more companies are realizing that it is our collective duty to stand up for our common humanity – and we must continue to show our compassion and support for all refugees as they restart their new lives.”
Tent is working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other organizations on the ground to ensure businesses are responding in the most appropriate way to the unfolding crisis. In due course, Tent will start working with employers to hire Ukrainians and others displaced from the country to ensure they can support themselves and their families.
The U.S., through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has created an 18-month Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for Ukrainians to allow those entering the U.S. since March 1 to apply for work permits and deportation protections. The TPS designation is expected to benefit more than 75,000 Ukrainians in the U.S., according to DHS.
The European Union has granted Ukrainian refugees temporary protection under the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD). The TPD allows Ukrainian nationals and foreigners who were long-term residents, refugees, or asylum-seekers in Ukraine before February 24 the right to live, study, and work across the EU by requesting a residence permit.
Individually, the companies who signed the statement have committed financial and other support to help people who have fled Ukraine. Among them: Amazon announced a $5 million donation to several humanitarian organizations including UNHCR, and it will match $5 million in employee donations. And Airbnb is offering free short-term housing for up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and will work with neighboring European states to provide long-term stays.
ENDS
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About the Tent Partnership for Refugees
With more and more refugees displaced for longer periods of time, businesses have a critical role to play in helping refugees integrate economically in their new host communities. The Tent Partnership for Refugees mobilizes the global business community to improve the lives and livelihoods of more than 30 million refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their home countries. Founded by Chobani’s founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya in 2016, we are a network of over 200 major companies committed to including refugees. Tent believes that companies can most sustainably support refugees by leveraging their core business operations – by engaging refugees as potential employees, entrepreneurs and consumers. The full list of Tent members can be found here. Find out more at www.tent.org.