Brazilian companies pledge job opportunities for 17,000 refugees

Brazil certainly made a powerful impression at the second Global Refugee Forum (GRF) held in December 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland. The country registered one of the largest private sector pledges during the event, which was co-hosted by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Switzerland and gathered over 4,000 participants from 168 countries, including 320 refugee delegates.

The involvement of Brazil’s private sector at the Forum comprised a collective commitment from 22 companies and private organizations to directly impact the lives of more than 17,000 refugees in Brazil by the end of 2027. They vowed to hire, train for the job market, or support the economic inclusion of people forced to flee their homes, aligning with the Forum's ambition to find long term solutions for refugees worldwide through technical expertise, investment capacity, and policy changes.

"The participation of the private sector in the integration process of refugees is a fundamental part of its social role, highlighting how the responsibility to assist refugees requires collective, coordinated efforts that surely bring effective results while promoting the reduction of inequalities. It's important to remember that many refugees brought knowledge and experience from their places of origin and have much to contribute to the growth of businesses and the development of the areas where they are now living," said Davide Torzilli, UNHCR Representative in Brazil.

The companies and private organizations involved in this global commitment are part of the Companies with Refugees Forum, an initiative by UNHCR and the UN Global Compact in Brazil. Since 2022, this Forum has supported the inclusion of refugees in Brazil's job market through experience sharing, training actions for hiring refugees, and sharing best practices for integrating these professionals into workplaces.

Accor Brazil is one of the companies participating in this initiative. The hospitality chain, a key player in the Companies with Refugees Forum, committed to hiring 280 refugees from various nationalities and offering hospitality training to another 600, helping them make a fresh start in Brazil.

To meet this goal, Accor is already hard at work. In 2024 alone, in partnership with a hospitality school, the company offered free hospitality courses to 70 refugees and migrants in São Paulo, with the first group graduating in August. Additionally, it currently employs 100 refugees across its hotels.

"Through our initiatives, refugee professionals can also use the course certificates to seek employment in other service sectors. It is expected that the hospitality sector will be one of the fastest growing in the next decade, offering numerous career development opportunities for talented and responsible individuals, such as refugees," commented Laís Fernanda de Souza, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager at Accor, during her speech at a virtual side-event at the Summit of the Future: Pledging for the Future: Advancing the Pact for the Future through the GCR. The event was organized by UNHCR and co-sponsored by Canada and Colombia to demonstrate the mutual reinforcement of the Pact for the Future and the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR).

Another company with ambitious goals at the Global Refugee Forum was Tenda Construction. The company committed to ensuring that refugees will make up 10% of its workforce at construction sites by the end of 2025, creating about 200 direct formal job opportunities for them. To achieve this, Tenda expanded its program for refugees and migrants to its Ceará and Pernambuco regional offices in July this year. Currently, the company employs 150 refugee professionals, with more than half hired in 2024 alone.

"With this expansion, our program for this population is now present in 86% of the company’s regional offices with ongoing projects, reinforcing our commitment to this inclusion agenda. Our goal is to reach 100%," explained Lucas Moura, Communication and Corporate Responsibility Manager.

The company Foundever, found that by hiring people who need international protection, they were able to meet an internal demand with greater quality, and began to encourage other companies to do the same. “Hiring Venezuelans today is proving to be essential for the company. Today we have 700 refugee and migrant employees, but it is still not enough when you consider that every day, more than 300 Venezuelans arrive in Brazil via Roraima. I am very committed to spreading the word about this initiative to other CEOs. It is a huge responsibility, but also a success and a source of pride for me,” says Foundever CEO Laurent Delache.

Kiria Flores, originally from Venezuela, has been in Brazil for six years and currently works as an operations supervisor at Foundever. She started at the company as an assistant, but soon had the opportunity to receive training within the company to lead teams that have Spanish as their native language. “I want to continue growing in the company to continue helping my family and have a better future in Brazil by buying my own home,” she plans.

The active participation of Brazil’s private sector in the Global Refugee Forum demonstrates how collaboration between stakeholders can create lasting, positive change. Through commitments like the ones made by Accor and Tenda Construction, refugees not only have employment opportunities but are also empowered to rebuild their lives and contribute to their host country’s economy – allowing for better social and economic inclusion of forcibly displaced people.

By the next GRF in 2027, Brazil’s example may inspire other States and companies to also step up, ensuring refugees can find stability and the chance to thrive in their new communities. It serves as a prime example that when we work together, we can create a better future for all.