Of course, we don’t do it alone. Doesn’t matter if it’s conjuring up a new favourite flavour or figuring out how best to support, for example, LGBTQ equality, over the years we’ve found that we work best when we work together—with members of our own team, with allies in the NGO world, with other businesses, and with you! And right now, the world is facing a challenge that can only be solved if we all work together.
68.5 million people, from all across the globe, have been forcibly displaced from their homes—more than at any point in history. People are fleeing the effects of climate change, poverty, violence, and war, but they want what we all want: a safe place to call home, happiness and peace for their families. And there are things we can all do.
We don’t have all the answers, but we think we know how we can begin. Will you stand with us? Together we can ensure safety and security for some of the most vulnerable people in the world.
Let’s start by:
1. Pushing for greater international cooperation: The challenges and opportunities are shared across borders, so we need greater cooperation between allied organisations and countries to make our communities thrive. This includes:
- Expanding safe and legal routes for people in search of safety.
- Upholding the right to seek asylum and the right to an individual assessment regardless of nationality.
- Championing ways that newcomers can participate in the social, economic, cultural and civic life of their communities so that everyone benefits.
- Ensuring that foreign policy is not used to trade-off the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum in pursuit of migration control.
2. Improving national systems of asylum and resettlement: We need national policies that protect the right to asylum and advance human rights and dignity, including:
- A fair and timely asylum process where people entering the system are treated with compassion; are given the best possible chance for an accurate and timely decision; provided with support to look after themselves and their families and given help to rebuild their lives, whatever the outcome of their claim.
- A national asylum system that provides education and health care to people regardless of residence status; ensures fair housing policies in order to break segregation; removes detention centres; tackles racism; includes policies that take into account specific vulnerabilities (women, minors, LGBTQ) and provides the right to work without limitation for people seeking asylum.
- A proportionate resettlement system based on global need and economic capacity with targets that countries can meet.
3. Building connections: We believe we have far more in common than that which divides us, so we'll be working to support understanding and awareness between locals and newcomers. Let’s melt barriers.
People seeking asylum and refugee status are our neighbours, friends, and family. And when someone in our community needs us, we all pitch in, we all… cone together.
Join us in helping to protect and advance the rights of all those seeking a safe place to call home.