The Tent Partnership for Refugees and UNHCR Announce Strategic Global Partnership to Advance the Labor Market Integration of Refugees

September 26, 2024 – The Tent Partnership for Refugees (Tent) – an international network of 400+ companies committed to the labor market integration of refugees – and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, are pleased to announce a strategic partnership to accelerate the workforce inclusion of refugees.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, Tent founder Hamdi Ulukaya, and Tent CEO Gideon Maltz signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday formalizing this partnership.

In doing so, Tent and UNHCR have jointly agreed to strengthen their collaboration to further advance their common goal of helping refugees enter the labor market and access decent jobs.

“I’m thrilled to formalize our long-standing relationship with UNHCR through this official partnership, which recognizes Tent’s unique expertise in mobilizing the world’s largest employers to hire refugees and will deepen our collective impact in key countries across the Americas and Europe,” said Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of Tent and founder and CEO of Chobani. “A job is the most critical milestone for refugees as they rebuild their lives, and we look forward to working even more closely with UNHCR to activate many more companies to connect countless more refugees to jobs.”

“Working with Tent towards a future where refugees are included and integrated into economies is a winning proposition for businesses, hosting communities and refugees themselves. When an enabling environment is there, refugees have the chance to rebuild their lives. This is what refugees want the most,” said Filippo Grandi, the High Commissioner for Refugees. “This new agreement reinforces our shared commitment to mobilizing the business community for the economic inclusion of refugees. Together, we will continue to break down barriers and build pathways so that people forced to flee can build a better future.”

About the Tent Partnership for Refugees

With more and more refugees displaced around the world, businesses have a critical role to play in helping them integrate economically in their new communities. Tent was launched in 2016 by Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO and founder of Chobani – a multibillion dollar food company in the U.S. – to mobilize the world’s largest employers to fill this gap. Today, Tent is a network of over 400 major companies committed to helping refugees across a dozen countries in the Americas and Europe access local labor markets by helping them become job-ready and connecting them to work. Find out more at www.tent.org.

About UNHCR

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We lead international action to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. We deliver life-saving assistance, help safeguard fundamental human rights, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place called home where they can build a better future. We also work to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality. We work in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions.