ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES: INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Entrepreneurship offers both a long-term solution to the challenges emanating from large and permanent movements of people and operates as a means for livelihoods in the short-term following humanitarian crisis. Especially in the context of recovery from COVID-19 pandemic, forging innovative partnerships can play a critical role in improving the inclusive nature of entrepreneurship ecosystems. Such partnerships can narrow pervasive information gaps regarding vulnerable groups, harness synergies among ecosystem stakeholders, and strengthen implementation of policies and delivery of programmes in a coordinated fashion. Within this framework, there is a need to build multistakeholder partnerships to eliminate exclusion and to strengthen the humanitarian-development nexus.
This parallel session aims to promote a better understanding of the importance of facilitating entrepreneurship for migrants and refugees in developing and developed countries by enhancing their access to requisite services in the areas of training, finance, markets, and technology. It will also highlight the positive contributions that migrant and refugee entrepreneurship bring to their host communities and the instrumental role they play in a long-term period wherever they may be located. There is room to bridge the gap between the supply of services by ecosystem stakeholders and the demand for services by migrant and refugee entrepreneurs. In the framework of this event, the Arabic version of the e-learning course on “Entrepreneurship for Migrants and Refugees” will be launched.
Key topics:
- The benefits of innovative and multisectoral partnerships in promoting entrepreneurship for migrants and refugees;
- The challenges and opportunities faced by migrant and refugee entrepreneurs particularly during COVID-19 pandemic;
- Examples on the policy options and successful partnerships emanating from good practices across the world;
- Background, features, and launch of the Arabic version of the e-learning course on Entrepreneurship for Migrants and Refugees.
The virtual session will be conducted as a Davos-style panel discussion, facilitated by a moderator and involving a group of panelists, with a time dedicated for discussion with the audience.
During the parallel session, policymakers and practitioners will share examples from their experiences. UNCTAD, IOM and UNHCR will discuss their best practices and lessons learned in operationalizing the Policy Guide on Entrepreneurship for Migrants and Refugees they jointly published in 2018. This document has been adapted for an e-learning course in 2019/2020, together with UNITAR, who will provide relevant information about this e-learning tool. Having reached almost 1,000 participants in its first iterations in 2020, this course is available in English and Spanish, with Arabic as the latest upcoming edition.
The event is open to all and is targeting relevant entrepreneurship stakeholders, with a particular focus on the following groups:
- Public sector officials;
- International organization;
- Representatives from the private sector, including MSMEs;
- The academia;
- Civil Society representatives.