20 June: World Refugee Day

Today is #WorldRefugeeDay, an international day designated by the United Nations to honour the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.

Statements of principle are important. But they always need to be backed up by concrete programmes, especially when they come from a private sector company.

In 2015, Europe faced one of the largest refugee crises in its history. That same year, SAP released its first application to help refugees arriving in Germany navigate the bureaucracy and assist officials in registering new arrivals.

In February 2022, the world witnessed a humanitarian crisis caused by Russia's war on Ukraine. Overnight, millions of Ukrainians fled their country and became refugees, with the vast majority pouring into Poland in search of asylum as their cities turned into battlefields. EY Technology Solutions helped refugees with EY Emergency Response Application (ERA), a mobile emergency response App running on SAP technology. The latter was live within six urgent weeks and connected countless refugees landing in Poland with the resources they needed to survive.

Longer-term responses are also essential. SAP launched Refugee Code Week at the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016. In 2018, the programme was rebranded as #DigitalSkillsForToday. Beyond learning code, the programme aims to provide a pathway for young people, including refugees, vulnerable people, women and minorities, to rebuild their identities and take a glimpse of a better future in a region plagued by conflict and war. Since its inception, the programme has positively impacted more than 160,000 young people.

Supporting the social and economic integration of migrants poses many challenges for public authorities. To respond effectively, SAP provided the Landratsamt Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, a county in Germany, with the technology to connect officials and volunteers across the region. An "Integration Portal" serves as a one-stop shop for coordinating support services for migrants and refugees. Officials from 54 agencies and volunteers from civil society are able to work together in a timely and structured way.

All these initiatives are no substitute for global political responses. But they do give them substance. Stone by stone.