Publication: Private Sector and Refugees: Pathways to Scale
Date
2019
ISSN
Published
2019
Author(s)
The Bridgespan Group
International Finance Corporation
Abstract
According to United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations
Refugee Agency, by the end of 2017, nearly 70 million people
worldwide were forcibly displaced - more than the entire
population of the United Kingdom. Governments, aid agencies,
and non-government organizations (NGOs) have long provided
humanitarian aid for refugees, addressing immediate needs
such as food, water, and shelter. The need for sustainable,
long-term solutions that mitigate the negative impacts of
forcible displacement, uplift refugees, and support host
communities is therefore becoming more acute. Indeed, the
development community is increasingly focusing on empowering
refugees as agents of their own lives and economic
contributors - from providing skills training, to offering
employment, and enabling access to financial products and
services. Private sector actors are inherently
well-positioned to enhance and scale these efforts, given
their strategic capabilities and business models.
Multinational corporations like Mastercard, regional, and
national businesses such as Equity Bank and PowerGen, social
enterprises like NaTakallam and Sanivation, and a range of
others across industries, are demonstrating the potential
roles of the private sector in supporting refugees and host communities.
Citation
“The Bridgespan Group; International Finance Corporation. 2019. Private Sector and Refugees: Pathways to Scale. © International Finance Corporation, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/32404 License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO.”