Global Refugee Forum 2023 What can we do?

An estimated 114 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes. During the Global Refugee Forum 2023, IKEA continues its commitment to supporting refugees by providing jobs, skills and importantly, respect.

According to UNHCR figures, by the end of September 2023, 114 million people globally will have been forced to leave the place that they called home. Last year saw the biggest jump in the number of forcibly displaced people ever. The IKEA organisations have been supporting refugees since 2009 through grants, training and upskilling programmes, employment and crucially, recognising the diversity and skills they bring to our organisation and our communities. As part of the Global Refuge Forum 2023 in Geneva on 13-15 December, we’re announcing our commitment to creating a better life for refugees through initiatives across IKEA.

Ingka Group

A part of the family

At IKEA we are proud of our diversity. Businesses can make real change in communities, that’s why Ingka Group – our largest IKEA retailer – created the Skills for Employment programme. It offers job and language training for refugees. Since 2019, Ingka Group has supported almost 3,000 asylum seekers and refugees through the programme. Then there’s the Displaced Talent programme, which has hired 332 forcibly displaced people within IKEA. Ingka Group is also commiting to increase the employability of an additional 3,000 refugees by the end of 2027, and is working to encourage other businesses to follow suit.

Two IKEA co-workers lean out of a window. They are talking and laughing. One is cropped out of the photo, so only their back can be seen.

Since 2019, Ingka Group has supported almost 3,000 asylum seekers and refugees through the Skills for Employment programme.

Creating a better future for refugees

IKEA Foundation

Better livelihoods

The IKEA Foundation, the strategic philanthropy that operates independently from IKEA, announced that they have surpassed their commitment to refugees. Since 2009, the IKEA Foundation has invested more than 300 million euros in programmes aimed at transforming the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of refugees. In 2019 the Foundation set its sights on boosting the self-reliance of people who have been forced to flee. It pledged 100 million euros with a focus on improving livelihoods through entrepreneurship, agriculture and renewable energy. But the work doesn’t stop there. The Foundation will continue to invest in programmes for displaced communities, helping both people and planet.

A woman in a red chador stands in a field, smiling at the camera.

The IKEA Foundation invests in transforming the livelihoods of refugees.

An aerial view of solar panels powering nearby buildings in a forest clearing.

Working with the IKEA Foundation, SELCO brings solar energy to healthcare facilities across India.

“I think a refugee person is a hero, because you started from nothing. And you can make a difference. We have work, we have a family at IKEA, we have friends.”

Zahra

A man and woman stand in their kitchen smiling. She offers a cup of tea.

Inter IKEA Group and the Jordan River Foundation

Preserving tradition

Inter IKEA Group and the Jordan River Foundation (JRF) have been working in partnership since 2017, creating jobs for refugees and local Jordanian women. The initiative began with the TILLTALANDE collection of cushion covers, which were hand-embroidered by 50 female artisans and sold in IKEA stores globally. Today, more than 370 work on the co-creation and production of IKEA textile products, with a goal to continue to employ 400 women, refugees and local Jordanians by 2027. With an increased focus on youth skill training, the partnership not only provides livelihoods to improve the lives of the women and their families, but also preserves age-old local handcraft traditions.

A pair of hands embroider a camel on a piece of fabric.

A female artisan embroiders a cushion cover from the TILLTALANDE collection.

A woman in a floral hijab smiles as she designs.

Inter IKEA Group and the Jordan River Foundation work in partnership to create jobs and preserve traditional handcrafts.

A group of women stand looking and smiling at the camera. They stand outside. One is holding paper, while another is holding a computer.

Mamo Pracuj helps women in Poland, especially mothers, to access quality employment and careers through its digital recruiting platform.

IKEA Social Entrepreneurship

More inclusive business

IKEA Social Entrepreneurship supports and partners with social businesses around the world to create a better everyday life for people who need it the most.

These partnerships contribute to access to jobs, increased incomes and livelihood opportunities for people from vulnerable communities around the world. Together with NESsT – a non-for-profit organisation that develops sustainable social enterprises that in turn support communities and create jobs – and the Cisco Foundation, which collaborates with nonprofit and NGOs to develop technology-based solutions, IKEA Social Entrepreneurship has launched the NESsT Refugee Employment Initiative. The initiative provides financial support and business guidance to 15 social enterprises and socially impactful businesses in Poland and Romania. Working together, the goal is to create 3,000 job opportunities and create a better everyday life for 5,000 refugees and migrants.

A group of people talk and smile while preparing food.

Olszytn Food Bank is a Polish non-profit that provides training and work opportunities for refugee women, while aiming to stop food going to waste.

Two women sit on cubes, two people sit on beanbags and a man stands behind. They are all smiling at the camera. One woman is holding a laptop on her lap.

Playful Software in Romania has a mission to offer a more equitable and inclusive recruitment journey to help refugees, youths and migrants find quality employment.

IKEA believes that all people deserve respect, dignity, and opportunities.