Responding to the crisis in Afghanistan

Like many around the world, our team has been glued to our devices in horror over the past few days, watching chaotic and heartbreaking scenes as Afghan adults and children, fearing for their lives, scramble to flee the country.

After a two-decade military intervention by the US and its allies, the Taliban has once again seized power in Afghanistan, leaving many people - including women and girls, LGBTQ+ people, human rights defenders and those affiliated with the US-led coalition - at risk of violent retribution.

For those of us watching this unfold via news stories and on social media, it’s natural to feel a sense of despair. But as Sitarah Mohammadi and Sajjad Askary from the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network remind us, we need to act now:

“In the months to come, persecution by the Taliban will drive large communities of all their targets to seek refuge across the region and international borders. Every one of them will be fleeing for their lives. Australia, the European Union, the United States and Afghanistan’s friends in the global community have a moral obligation towards them”.

What governments can do

The United States and 60 other countries have called for borders to remain open to allow Afghans to seek refuge, saying “we in the international community stand ready to assist them.” This needs to be backed by concrete action.

The Canadian government has announced its plan to resettle an additional 20,000 Afghan refugees, and other governments are starting to follow suit, with the UK committing to resettle up to 20,000 Afghan nationals at risk, including 5,000 by the end of the year. TBB strongly supports these measures, and we encourage governments of other nations to announce ambitious resettlement plans.

This situation underscores the critical nature of humanitarian resettlement mechanisms. Labor mobility programs, like those spearheaded by TBB, are an important piece of the puzzle; providing refugees with multiple possible pathways out of displacement. But the desperate scenes out of Afghanistan remind us that there is no substitute for governments fulfilling their responsibilities to protect refugees and provide resettlement places, prioritising the most vulnerable persecuted Afghans.

What businesses can do

Businesses can make a profound impact by hiring displaced Afghans through TBB’s displaced talent mobility programs. Australia, Canada and the UK now have special visa programs enabling businesses to employ and sponsor displaced people on skilled visas, as a means of bringing them to safety while also gaining a talented employee.

There are nearly one hundred talented Afghans registered on TBB’s Talent Catalog already, including computer programmers, business administrators, engineers, teachers and cooks. This is just the tip of the iceberg of talented people who have fled the country. To explore this opportunity, employers should complete the Expression of Interest form on our website.

Businesses can also support the humanitarian relief effort. Various humanitarian appeals have been launched in the past few days by organisations like UNHCR, along with smaller, targeted funds on behalf of local groups on the ground. We encourage businesses to support these appeals.

To Afghan refugees and those at risk

We are standing with you. If you are of working age with a profession or trade, particularly if you also speak English, I strongly encourage you to sign up to the Talent Catalog.

The Talent Catalog is a safe and secure way of showcasing your skills to employers around the world. We cannot guarantee you will secure a job, but if you are offered a role by an employer willing to sponsor your visa in Australia, Canada, the UK or elsewhere, we will do everything possible to support your migration via the displaced talent programs we operate in these countries.

We know this is a devastating time, but if you think our program might be for you, please sign up.

What partners and friends of TBB can do

We have launched an appeal to raise the funds required to extend our targeted outreach to Afghan refugees displaced in third countries.

This funding would allow us to reach hundreds of additional Afghan refugees - with a special emphasis on Afghan women - giving them the chance to be considered for international employment and migration via labor mobility pathways.