A World of Solidarity: Building Inclusive Communities to Support Refugees

On May 22nd, Italchimica hosted the event “A World of Solidarity: Building Inclusive Communities to Support Refugees” which successfully presented the Welcome project of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to an audience of businesses and HR managers. Since its launch in 2017, this initiative has helped over 30,000 refugees find suitable employment and, consequently, a future.

The meeting was promoted by Ilaria Agosta, president of the Italian Association for Human Resources Management (AIDP) for Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and organized by Chiara Bellon and Ketty Fava from AIDP’s Inclusion Group, which, along with the Adecco Foundation and other organizations, partners with UNHCR in advancing the project.

UNHCR representatives Laura Iucci and Marcello Rossoni first clarified the term “refugees,” often used improperly. It refers to people who have acquired this specific status because returning to their home countries would pose a severe risk of persecution and death. Once recognized as refugees, these individuals gain the same rights and duties as any Italian citizen, including in the workplace.

The initial hurdle is often the language, but as the UNHCR representatives explained, this can be overcome within a few months of support, especially since refugees generally speak multiple languages and possess high levels of education and skills.

Today, with the “Welcome in One Click” portal, accessible at this link link https://welcomeclick.unhcr.it/en and presented during the event, matching job seekers and employers has become even simpler and safer, thanks to UNHCR’s due diligence.

Already 700 companies are involved, including Breton Spa, which shared a positive integration experience through the contributions of Michela Perin and Giulia Tonietto during the meeting.

In opening the event, Italchimica’s president, Alessandro Fioretto, emphasized the importance of businesses thinking in terms of giving back to the community, as every successful economic activity is a product of its territory and the passionate people who believed in it. “A project like this,” Fioretto stressed, “fills us with hope for the future.”

Italchimica was proud to host this event and to actively contribute to building more inclusive and supportive communities.