Hello, everyone. To Hamdi and the Tent Partnership team: Thank you for hosting this summit. Vice President Schinas, thank you for your tireless efforts to support refugees — in Europe and around the world.

As all of you know, Europe is facing its largest refugee crisis since the Second World War. At the end of 2022, more than 12 million refugees from around the world were taking shelter on the continent. That included over 7.5 million people displaced from Ukraine by Russia’s war of aggression.

Every refugee’s journey is difficult and unique. But for many, finding gainful employment can help lay a foundation for rebuilding their lives.

Since 2016, Tent has been an international resource connecting refugees with businesses hiring them. The State Department has been proud to partner with Tent in this vital work. Last December, we signed a memorandum of understanding to expand our collaboration. Together, we’re working with other governments and international organizations to reduce barriers to employment for refugees and to strengthen the global coalition to support them.

We’re also starting new efforts to help companies hire refugees. For example, over the past six months, we’ve shared information and tools with businesses across Europe and beyond. We’ve hosted events with senior leaders from over 100 major companies at U.S. embassies in Germany, Spain, France, Sweden, and Mexico. And soon, we’ll do the same in the United Kingdom and Kenya.

Our partnership with Tent is one of the many ways the United States is supporting refugees across the globe. We’re the world’s biggest donor to humanitarian causes, including contributing more than $2 billion to UNHCR last year. In January, the U.S. launched the Welcome Corps, a new private sponsorship program that enables everyday American citizens to help refugees get settled around the country. Already, Americans in 37 states are establishing groups to welcome refugees. And together, we’re working toward the broader goal that President Biden set to resettle 125,000 refugees in the United States this year.

To rise to this historic moment, we all need to do more: governments … civil society … international organizations … and the private sector. At this summit, more than 40 companies will make new commitments to hire or train thousands of refugees around Europe over the next three years. If you own a company or if you simply have room for talent on your team, I hope you’ll make a pledge. You have so much to offer, but also so much to gain.

To businesses, refugees bring exceptional talents and innovative ideas. As Tent found in its studies, German companies that hired refugees saw rates of employee retention and productivity increase across their organizations.

As for refugees, finding a job can be life-changing. That was the case for Karam. He fled persecution in Darfur, Sudan, eventually arriving in France.

He got hired at the L’Oreal Foundation to help run a job training program for women from vulnerable communities in more than 25 countries. For Karam, the work let him give back and help others. And in his words, the job “brought me to life.”

I know that countless stories like Karam’s will come from the pledges you make today. And I look forward to hearing them — and continuing this work together — going forward. Thank you.

Hello, everyone. To Hamdi and the Tent Partnership team: Thank you for hosting this summit. Vice President Schinas, thank you for your tireless efforts to support refugees — in Europe and around the world.

As all of you know, Europe is facing its largest refugee crisis since the Second World War. At the end of 2022, more than 12 million refugees from around the world were taking shelter on the continent. That included over 7.5 million people displaced from Ukraine by Russia’s war of aggression.

Every refugee’s journey is difficult and unique. But for many, finding gainful employment can help lay a foundation for rebuilding their lives.

Since 2016, Tent has been an international resource connecting refugees with businesses hiring them. The State Department has been proud to partner with Tent in this vital work. Last December, we signed a memorandum of understanding to expand our collaboration. Together, we’re working with other governments and international organizations to reduce barriers to employment for refugees and to strengthen the global coalition to support them.

We’re also starting new efforts to help companies hire refugees. For example, over the past six months, we’ve shared information and tools with businesses across Europe and beyond. We’ve hosted events with senior leaders from over 100 major companies at U.S. embassies in Germany, Spain, France, Sweden, and Mexico. And soon, we’ll do the same in the United Kingdom and Kenya.

Our partnership with Tent is one of the many ways the United States is supporting refugees across the globe. We’re the world’s biggest donor to humanitarian causes, including contributing more than $2 billion to UNHCR last year. In January, the U.S. launched the Welcome Corps, a new private sponsorship program that enables everyday American citizens to help refugees get settled around the country. Already, Americans in 37 states are establishing groups to welcome refugees. And together, we’re working toward the broader goal that President Biden set to resettle 125,000 refugees in the United States this year.

To rise to this historic moment, we all need to do more: governments … civil society … international organizations … and the private sector. At this summit, more than 40 companies will make new commitments to hire or train thousands of refugees around Europe over the next three years. If you own a company or if you simply have room for talent on your team, I hope you’ll make a pledge. You have so much to offer, but also so much to gain.

To businesses, refugees bring exceptional talents and innovative ideas. As Tent found in its studies, German companies that hired refugees saw rates of employee retention and productivity increase across their organizations.

As for refugees, finding a job can be life-changing. That was the case for Karam. He fled persecution in Darfur, Sudan, eventually arriving in France.

He got hired at the L’Oreal Foundation to help run a job training program for women from vulnerable communities in more than 25 countries. For Karam, the work let him give back and help others. And in his words, the job “brought me to life.”

I know that countless stories like Karam’s will come from the pledges you make today. And I look forward to hearing them — and continuing this work together — going forward. Thank you.

Original source can be found here.