Accenture’s commitment to helping refugees

I want to share today Accenture’s longstanding commitment to helping refugees, the importance of corporate action to support the resettlement of Afghan refugees, the actions we are taking to help, and encourage others to join us.

The images coming out of Afghanistan are heartrending. My deepest condolences to those who have lost civilian and military friends, family members and loved ones. I am also deeply grateful for all the veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice over the last 20 years. And to the millions of Afghan people who have had no choice but to leave their homes and loved ones behind and seek refuge, I want you to know that we at Accenture see you and champion you in the courageously hopeful road ahead to resettlement. 

Our Commitment

At Accenture, for many years we have partnered with leading local and global organizations and governments to help individuals and families establish new lives and gain meaningful employment and starting businesses, and our people have spent thousands of volunteer hours helping refugees and their families. We are both proud and very fortunate to have many refugees among our Accenture people—making immense contributions to our clients, our company, and our communities every day. In assisting Afghan refugees in particular, we also seek to honor the service and sacrifices of our colleagues who are veterans and fought for freedom and safety.

The Need to Act

The current crisis is far from over, and around the world there are millions of people who have been displaced from their countries. In the coming months, we could see thousands of new Afghan refugees and in the coming days, tens of thousands will begin arriving in staging locations and resettlement areas around the world. The time to act is now.

We know from our experience that companies have an important role to play in this current crisis. First, many organizations need emergency funding, as well as access to volunteers. Second, refugees and their families need employment to build new lives. Finally, refugees need to be welcomed and celebrated in our workforces for their skills and experiences. Together with governments, not-for-profit organizations and the generous outpouring of support of people in communities around the world, we can all make a difference.

Our Actions

Emergency Funding. We answered the call for emergency funding from both the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Rescue Committee and donated $500,000 to each organization to support immediate needs. Each organization is on the ground in Afghanistan and around the world meeting both immediate humanitarian needs and helping settle and support refugees in rebuilding their lives. In the United States, we are matching our people’s donations to the IRC, No One Left Behind and Upwardly Global.

Supporting Employment. We are also donating $200,000 and pro bono services to our partner, Upwardly Global, to support their work helping skilled refugees in the United States find work in their chosen field. We will be proactively expanding our work with organizations to source our talent needs from refugees arriving from Afghanistan and other countries. 

Collaboration. We are actively looking to work with governments, not-for-profits and other companies to scale our impact. In addition to the partners mentioned above, we are committed to our many other partnerships with global and local refugee- focused organizations around the world, such as Refugee Talent Hub and ReDI School North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as to continuing to work in this space through Accenture Development Partnerships. 

I hope you’ll join us in giving them your support.