This World Refugee Day promotes empathy and understanding, fostering solidarity with those forced to flee their homes. It advocates for change globally by urging collective and individual action to support refugees and uphold their rights.‍

Every minute 20 people leave everything behind to escape war or persecution (UN), resulting in over 110 million people around the world being forcibly displaced (UNHCR).‍

Standing with refugees means raising awareness and finding solutions to their plight. At the Swarovski Foundation, we promote sustainable livelihoods through education to reduce inequality. Over the years, we have worked with partners including UK for UNHCR, the British Red Cross and Turquoise Mountain to support emergency responses around the world as well as provide refugees with access to education, skills, and resources.

UK for UNHCR

More than 1 in every 74 people on earth have been forced to flee their homes (UNHCR).

The Swarovski Foundation’s partnership with UK for UNHCR started in 2019. UK for UNHCR is the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)’s national charity partner for the United Kingdom. UNHCR leads international action to protect people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. It delivers lifesaving assistance like shelter, food,and water, helps safeguard fundamental human rights, and develops solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future. UNHCR also works to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality.

Since 2019, the Swarovski Foundation has responded to a number of UK for UNHCR’s emergency appeals to support displaced communities in Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Sudan, Türkiye, and Ukraine, and contributed towards their work on underfunded crises that have fallen out of the spotlight in Iraq, South Sudan, and Syria. In 2022, many Swarovski employees around the world joined the Swarovski Foundation in supporting UK for UNHCR’s work to help people forced to flee Ukraine, organising walks, auctions, and collections to raise additional funds.

This World Refugee Day, you can stand with UK for UNHCR to amplify refugee voices and support their inclusion. Visit UK for UNHCR’s website here to learn more about their work and read the stories of those they’ve helped and donate here if you can.

Turquoise Mountain

The Syrian community continues to face challenges in Jordan with over 78% of Syrian refugees living below the Jordanian poverty line (ECHO).‍

Turquoise Mountain was established in 2006 to revive historic areas and traditional crafts, to provide jobs, skills and a renewed sense of pride. They focus their work in Afghanistan, Myanmar and the Middle East. Since 2006, Turquoise Mountain has restored over 150 historic buildings, employed and trained thousands of artisans and builders, built over 50 small businesses, and supported and generated over $17 million in sales of traditional crafts to international markets.

In partnership with the Swarovski Foundation, Turquoise Mountain support Jordanians, Syrian and Palestinian refugee artisans, through an intensive jewellery apprenticeship programme. They will acquire craft and business skills and the ability to create high-quality jewellery products for international markets, enabling them to have improved access to sustainable incomes, embrace their rich cultural heritage and focus on remote, independent work.

#WithRefugees

You can support World Refugee Day by educating yourself and others, volunteering, advocating for refugee-friendly policies, donating, hosting events, supporting refugee businesses, offering mentorship, and engaging on social media. These actions help create a more inclusive and supportive environment for refugees worldwide.

Learn more and get involved at: www.unhcr.org/events/world-refugee-day-2024