Mumbai: As the number of forcibly displaced people reaches a new high of 110 million, according to the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), this is one of the concrete ways in which Ipsos intends to support these men and women affected by forced migration around the world; by recruiting 100 refugees around the world over the next three years.

This commitment is rooted in our belief that employment is one of the most powerful ways for migrants to integrate into their new host country.

It comes after a similar pledge in 2018, following which over 100 refugees have now been recruited in our teams around the world.

This announcement was made as part of the Tent European Business Summit, organised by the Tent Partnership for Refugees in Paris on 19 June, alongside other major international companies including Accor, L´Oréal, Pfizer and Unilever. Ipsos is a member of the Tent Partnership, of the Refugees Are Talents collective and of the UNHCR’s #WithRefugees coalition.

Ipsos also recently committed to offering mentoring to 50 refugee women over three years in cities across the United States, including Chicago, Detroit, and New York City, and to providing training resources for 100 refugees across the United States.

In recent months, the Ipsos Foundation has supported several Non-Governmental Organisations active in helping refugees. They include Fundacja Ocalenie in Poland, which accompanies Ukrainian migrants fleeing the war, and the Spanish Commission for Refugees (CEAR), which we helped to operate a centre for asylum seekers and their families in Madrid. The Ipsos Foundation has also been funding the training of Syrian refugee teenagers in Jordan, with Mateen, and a French learning programme for refugees in Paris with JRS France.

Ipsos ESG director Pierre Gaudin declared, “A refugee who has a job is no longer a refugee”. At Ipsos, we love this quote from Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO of Chobani and founder of the Tent Partnership – himself a refugee. This belief that economic activity is, alongside other factors of course, one of the most powerful vectors of integration in a new country is what lies behind the pledge we announced today. Together with mentoring, training, and projects funded by the Ipsos Foundation, this is our way of helping men and women who have often escaped some of the worst atrocities and situations on earth.”

According to an Ipsos survey in 29 countries, released ahead of World Refugee Day, support for the principle of refuge remains high in public opinion, despite a decline in support for refugees since last year.