Thinking of Christ present in so many desperate people fleeing conflicts and climate change, the problem of hospitality needs to be confronted together, without excuses and without delay, because the effects will be felt, sooner or later, by all of us. #WithRefugees
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) June 20, 2023
Among the companies taking action in support of refugees, 41 companies pledged at the Tent European Business Summit in Paris to collectively hire 250,000 refugees over the next three years, according to a June 19 press release by the summit.
Amazon has committed to hiring 5,000 refugees, with a special emphasis on hiring Ukrainian women, according to the release.
“With no end in sight to the Russian invasion of Ukraine — and with the European Union welcoming millions of Ukrainians — it’s imperative that refugees are offered longer-term inclusion and hope through integration into the labor market,” said Margaritis Schinas, vice president of the European Commission, who spoke at the summit.
Schinas added that “this unprecedented show of support from businesses across the continent will be critical to enabling tens of thousands of Ukrainians to provide for themselves and their loved ones back in Ukraine.”
According to CNN, Amazon’s announcement to hire 5,000 refugees in Europe comes after an earlier announcement to hire another 5,000 refugees in the U.S. by the end of 2024.