Day 3: WHAT. A. DAY!
Labour mobility is officially on the map.
The team for the Multi-stakeholder pledge on Skills-Based Complementary Pathways.
Today was an exhilarating and resounding validation of the work we have been doing over the past four years to support refugees to move to work safely and with dignity. It is official: labour mobility is now on the map. Read on to learn about our exciting third day in Geneva and second official day at the Global Refugee Forum.
High-Level Event on Refugee Labour Mobility
Today marks a remarkable day for refugee labour mobility, the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility, and Talent Beyond Boundaries.
Four years ago, when we were here in Geneva, refugee labour mobility was still in its infancy—a concept met with skepticism by many. We posed a simple yet powerful question: If millions of people move every year for work, why can't refugees do the same?
To address this question, Talent Beyond Boundaries aims to complement and enhance existing refugee resettlement programs, offering additional pathways out of displacement and empowering refugees to utilize their skills to rebuild their lives with dignity and purpose. To achieve this, we created the Talent Catalog, a software that allows refugees to register their skills. It enables organizations, many of which are represented at this High-Level event today, to match candidates with employers and support their journey toward labour mobility. Through collaboration with employers, states, UNHCR, IOM, RefugePoint, Jumpstart, Fragomen, individuals with lived experiences, and others, we have worked to understand and eliminate the obstacles preventing refugees from accessing labour mobility opportunities. By connecting skilled refugees with employment opportunities in third countries, we are expanding access to sustainable solutions.
Since the last Global Refugee Forum, we have assisted over 1,300 refugees to safely relocate for work.
There were no dedicated events focused on refugee labour mobility at the inaugural Global Refugee Forum. This morning, alongside our partners in the Global Task Force, we hosted a High-Level event attended by over 350 participants, including government officials, private sector leaders, and individuals with lived refugee experiences who have successfully navigated labour mobility pathways and now enjoy secure homes due to their employment. During the event, we proudly announced our multistakeholder pledge in which we committed to:
By 2027, in collaboration with our partners and fellow members of the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility, Talent Beyond Boundaries pledges to achieve three critical goals:
Establish skilled immigration pathways for refugees and forcibly displaced individuals in at least 27 countries by 2027.
Assist over 15,000 displaced individuals in migrating through these labour mobility pathways.
Train a minimum of 24 partner organizations to match refugees with job opportunities in countries where they can safely migrate—learning and growing alongside these organizations as they develop their own programs.
Talent Beyond Boundaries’ Global CEO, Steph Cousins, opening speech at the High Event on Refugee Labour Mobility
We understand that these ambitious objectives can only be realized through the unwavering support of our partners, and their response heartened us.
Refugee Leadership:
We are especially grateful to Agnes, Derar, and Ammar, who represent the Refugee Advisory Committee on the Global Task Force for Labour Mobility, for their commitment to paying it forward. Refugees lie at the heart of our mission, and sharing the panel with them - alongside representatives of governments and UN agencies - was an honour.
From left to right, TBB’s Global CEO, Steph Cousins. Ammar Agnes and Derar TBB Alumni and GTF Refugee Advisory Committee members
Government Support:
We extend our gratitude to the governments of Australia, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United States, and the European Union for their support.
Canada has pledged to make the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot a permanent program by 2025.
The government of Australia has pledged to create a 'train to hire' program that supports refugees in Indo-Pacific host countries to gain skills sought after globally, improving access to employment matching and broader complementary pathways opportunities.
Fully implement the recently extended and expanded Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot: delivering 500 primary visas by 30 June 2025 together with Talent Beyond Boundaries and a wide range of Australian employers; keep pilot program settings under review to ensure we realize the full potential of refugee labour mobility; and consider transitioning the pilot to a permanent element of the skilled migration program.
Facilitate 100 job matches by June 2024 under Australia's Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot, in partnership with the Northern Territory Government, Talent Beyond Boundaries and Fragomen, providing a pathway for skilled refugees and displaced persons to live and work in the Northern Territory, Australia. The partnership is a practical example of how businesses and business leaders can harness the talent of refugees to address skills shortages, creating a win-win for displaced people, employers and the wider community.
Germany pledges to step up efforts promoting refugee labour mobility to Germany, notably through advisory services on regular migration opportunities in its Centres for migration and development. The German Government will support research by collecting data and providing recommendations to help facilitate refugee labour mobility to Germany. Furthermore, the German development cooperation will enhance collaboration with the international community by joining the “Refugee Labour Mobility Network.”
The United States has pledged to launch Welcome Corps at Work in partnership with the International Rescue Committee and Talent Beyond Boundaries and admit at least 300 refugees through the Welcome Corps at Work.
TBB’s Global CEO, Steph Cousins with Claire S. Putzeys, Director for Refugees, National Security Council, the White House
Italy has pledged to open labour mobility pathways for refugees in Italy.
The European Union has pledged to promote complementary pathways and increase funding for complementary pathways.
Ireland pledges to continue support for the arrival of refugees under safe and legal complementary pathways through education and labour opportunities. In particular, Ireland will continue to support the EU-Passworld and DT4E initiatives in this area.
Belgium will continue its involvement in multi-stakeholder programs that facilitate refugee access to education and labour opportunities in Belgium, such as DT4E and EU-Passworld.
The Welsh Government will support refugees to access employability support, qualification recognition, language tuition, and good access to the labour market in Wales to support the multi-stakeholder pledge on skills-based complementary pathways.
Partner Organizations:
We appreciate the collaboration of organizations such as RefugePoint, Fragomen and Duolingo.
Refuge Point has pledged to expand its program to support and facilitate refugees in the labour mobility process beyond their current focus on refugees in Kenya seeking job opportunities in Canada.
Fragomen has pledged to maintain its dedication to supporting the expansion of labour mobility programs globally by:
Developing a Destination Country Index, which will summarize and analyze the legal and related factors leading to opportunities, obstacles, and strategies to overcome the barriers to the advancing of labour mobility pathways;
Working with partner organizations, the firm will promote the hiring of staff through labour mobility for refugees;
Working with partners, advocating to the government on behalf of labour mobility for refugees and assisting with the effective design of new country programmes;
Providing technical support and visa expertise in up to 27 countries where labour mobility programs are implemented or being designed in direct support of the objectives of Talent Beyond Boundaries and other partners to scale up pathways dramatically;
Providing visa and related immigration services on a low-cost basis for four years to help 10,000 individuals to their destinations.
Duolingo has pledged to provide a free language test to every refugee applying for labour mobility pathways with Talent Beyond Boundaries.
Foundations:
Northpine has pledged to give CAD 1 million to TBB for 450 refugees to relocate to Canada through the EMPP.
This is a momentous step forward in our collective efforts to transform the lives of refugees and forcibly displaced individuals through labour mobility, and we look forward to the journey ahead.
We will be releasing our full list of endorsements next week, so stay tuned for that!
Instagram takeover by Ammar Sammour!
Get an exclusive front-row experience of attending an event like the Global Refugee Forum through the perspective of a refugee who has successfully relocated via a labor migration pathway. Ammar Sammour, a TBB alumnus and Senior Coding Trainer at Re: Coded, a UK-based nonprofit that supports underserved talent in reskilling and accessing equitable technological career opportunities, spearheaded this takeover. He assumed control of Talent Beyond Boundaries' Instagram account for the day to capture his activities with the TBB team and share his insights. Stay tuned to our IG stories tomorrow as Ammar returns to walk us through his day at the #RefugeeForum in Geneva, offering behind-the-scenes insights from the final official day of the forum. Follow along at @talentbeyondboundaries .