A joint program to foster social entrepreneurship, building an inclusive labour market for migrants and refugees for the first time in Latin America
Davos, Switzerland 24.05.2022 – At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Unilever and the Global Solidarity Fund announce the launch of their partnership in Colombia. The innovative private sector and faith-based partnership aims to work with communities to achieve transformation, stimulate economies, and support the most vulnerable populations, including migrants and refugees, in the global workforce. The announcement is taking place at Job Creation on the Edges: Refugees, Markets & the Power of Partnerships, a Global Solidarity Fund roundtable discussion on innovative approaches leveraging market-based solutions which solve critical challenges of our time, such as employment for migrants and refugees. The event will take place at the Goal 17 Partnership Space, Kurgartenstrasse 1, 7270 Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday, May 24 from 11:30–13:00.
Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever, said: “Our partnership with the Global Solidarity Fund to expand the successful TRANSFORM initiative into Colombia reflects our shared ambition to create a more inclusive economy through training and job opportunities for marginalised workers, including migrants and refugees.”
The partnership leverages the unique TRANSFORM joint initiative, developed by Unilever, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and EY. Established in 2015, TRANSFORM works to accelerate impact enterprises, blending funding and support to deliver market-based solutions to the world’s biggest development challenges. TRANSFORM uses its capabilities and expertise in marketing, distribution, digital, and business resilience to deliver transformative market-based solutions to low-income households in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia that last. Bringing this successful model to Latin America for the first time, Unilever and the Global Solidarity Fund will offer Colombian social enterprises world-class business and financial support including access to commercial networks, technology and expertise in behaviour change, marketing and sales, distribution, and improving social business models. The partners are united in a common ambition to focus on fostering social entrepreneurship and impacting labour markets for inclusion of migrants and refugees.
Marta Guglielmetti, Executive Director of the Global Solidarity Fund, said: “Our partnership in Colombia demonstrates the vision of collaboration on behalf of vulnerable people which the Global Solidarity Fund is fostering. The Global Solidarity Fund will bring unique value to the partnership, connecting social entrepreneurs with the rooted faith organizations that are deeply trusted by local communities with a recognized knowledge of vulnerable migrants and refugees’ skills and needs.”
www.globalsolidarityfund.org www.transform.global www.unilever.com
-Ends-
For further information, please contact:
Unilever: Press-Office.London@unilever.com
GSF: Tom Walsh (t.walsh@globalsolidarityfund.org in London) or Alessandra Tarquini (alessandra.tarquini@globalsolidarityfund.org in Rome)
