Recognizing World Refugee Day

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the global number of forcibly displaced people reached 108.4 million at the end of 2022, of which 32.5 million were refugees, a roughly 18 percent increase in the number of forcibly displaced people and 29 percent increase in refugees since 2020.??

Those are staggering figures.?

Refugees need more than just immediate assistance – food, water, shelter, medicine – they also need to provide for their families with dignity. At Microsoft, we believe in empowering vulnerable people and communities by investing in opportunities for inclusive economic growth, and we’re proud to play a part in helping refugees rebuild their lives. Through our Skills for Jobs program, Tech for Social Impact program, and other philanthropic efforts, we're honored to partner with organizations on the ground around the world, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Amnesty International, Polish Humanitarian Action, and national societies of the Red Cross to help provide access to technology, training, and devices that help refugees develop the digital skills needed for in-demand roles, work in their new communities, and be prepared for the future. And we’re working to empower these and other organizations with technology and training to reach more refugees and vulnerable communities as the number of people in need continues to grow.?

In Ukraine, according to the UN, there are an estimated 5.9 million internally displaced people and nearly 8 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded in neighboring countries and across Europe. To help, Microsoft has committed more than $520 million, inclusive of employee giving, cash, technology grants, services, and business relief since the war began. Of that, we have committed $162 million to efforts targeted towards Ukrainian refugees fleeing the country. We’ve provided software for laptops distributed to Ukrainian refugees through the Digital Equity for Ukraine initiative and we’ve helped Ukrainian women learn new skills and start new careers in the Information Technology sector in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and beyond.??

We're also providing support in countries that host refugees. For example, we’re supporting the charity Breaking Barriers in the UK, which aims to provide meaningful employment for refugees like Joy, a refugee from Liberia who became a victim of trafficking. Now she’s working to become a nurse, saying “The best thing I can do is give back to society by becoming a nurse and helping people, just as others helped me.”?

And LinkedIn announced the 12 recipients of their Global Refugee Fund this month – three of which will dedicate their resourcing to programs helping Ukrainian refugees, including GEN UK, INCO, and the Tent Partnership for Refugees, part of LinkedIn’s five-part refugee response strategy to help job-ready refugees access networks, skills and jobs. Their resources span beyond targeting refugee jobseekers as they seek to mobilize refugee hiring with tools like this recently-launched microsite for hiring managers with education on hiring refugees.?

Just over a year ago I visited Warsaw, Poland and shared my reflections – noting how surreal it was to see the city – vibrant, beautiful, and so close to the conflict. I remember casual conversations where a Microsoft employee mentioned housing their fifth family of Ukrainian refugees, or another that mentioned they were on their way to the border to pick up people fleeing their home. And that their friends and neighbors were doing the same.??

World Refugee Day is a reminder of the vast number of displaced people and refugees around the world, and that there’s much more to be done. I hope you’ll consider donating, volunteering or otherwise supporting an organization dedicated to supporting refugees. We’re grateful that Microsoft has been able to help in different ways, but we’re only a small piece of the puzzle that the global community must address. This is a big problem that requires support from all sectors.??

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