Public and private stakeholders will gather in Paris in early June to discuss established and new ways of mobilizing expertise, linkages, finance and resources in support of refugees.
The EIB, the World Bank Group and Confederation of Danish Industry are at the forefront of this collaborative effort to steer the debate on forced displacement toward a recognition of the extensive contribution that the private sector can make in addressing challenges related to forced displacement.
The magnitude of the challenge is formidable. Today, more than 68 million people have been forced from their homes worldwide, including 25 million refugees, according to UNHCR. Almost 85 percent are hosted by low or middle-income countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Uganda, Turkey, and Bangladesh.
With half of the world’s refugees staying for more than four years on average in the host countries, the international community has moved from a predominant use of humanitarian approaches to an increasing appreciation of development responses. Moreover, the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (2016) emphasized the private sector’s role in finding solutions for refugees and host communities.
The event, due to take place in Paris on June 11-12, 2019, has four sub-themes: Entrepreneurship, Investment, Employment, and Services & Products. The Investment segment is managed by the European Investment Bank and will feature speakers from the World Economic Forum, Platform for Inclusive Finance, Jordan Microfund for Women and the Open Society Foundation, among others. We will explore how private capital mobilization can help increase employment of refugees and host communities and grow companies that wield a positive impact on all vulnerable groups, refugees included, and foster inclusion. Furthermore, the Investment segment will assess the potential of blended finance, impact investment and financial innovation to contribute to the agenda.
All are cordially invited register & attend as well as spread the word. The registration link and full agenda can be found here (note that the deadline for registration is June 4): https://www.danskindustri.dk/arrangementer/soeg/arrangementer/internationalt/ps4refugees/
The conference will bring together practitioners from the field, investment companies and private sector firms, refugee entrepreneurs, labor market representatives, donors and other development partners, including Multilateral Development Banks, chambers of commerce, and public sector actors. It is anticipated that about 15 countries will be represented. As an outcome document, the partners envision a Charter of Good Practice.
Please, contact Kristina Mikulova at SG/IS/SD at k.mikulova@eib.org if you have any questions or suggestions.