Date: 10th March 2025
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Invitation-only event
We’re Better Together: Fostering Refugee Integration and Inclusion.
This event, dedicated to addressing Europe’s workforce challenges through refugee inclusion, brings together policymakers, business leaders, civil society and refugee representatives to advocate for a more inclusive and prosperous future.
Join co-hosts Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka Group | IKEA Retail and UN Global Compact Vice-Chair; and other leading changemakers for engaging discussions, exploring innovative solutions and new collaboration opportunities to accelerate refugee inclusion in Europe.
Why attend?
Unlock new talent: Discover how refugees can fill critical workforce gaps and contribute to growth.
Lead on inclusion: Develop forward-thinking policy proposals that foster collaboration and productivity.
Learn from success: Gain insights from real-world examples that demonstrate the business and social value of investing in refugee integration.
Harness the power of partnerships: Play a pivotal role in developing a multi-stakeholder action plan to accelerate refugee integration and inclusion.
Agenda
13:30 – 14:00 | Registration and welcome coffee
14:00 – 14:25 | Opening remarks “We’re Better Together”
Filippo Grandi, High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR,
the UN Refugee Agency and
Jesper Brodin, CEO, Ingka Group | IKEA; Chair,
The B-Team; Vice-Chair, UN Global Compact
14:25 – 14:35 | Refugee Misconceptions – Interactive Gapminder Quiz
Ola Rosling, President & Co-Founder of Gapminder Foundation
14:35 – 14:45 | Keynote address: The EU Vision for Inclusive Labour Markets
Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and
Migration
14:45 – 15:10 | Panel Discussion: The Economic and Social Value of Refugee Integration
Julia Patorska, Partner, Deloitte
Ben Butters, CEO, Eurochambres
Jessica Anderen, CEO, IKEA Foundation
15:10 – 15:30 | Chat & Chill: Meet the Talent – A journey of being better together
Moderated by Tolga Öncü, Chief Retail Operations Manager, Ingka
Group | IKEA
Edgar Colmenares, Learning Delivery Specialist, Skills4Employment
Alumni, Ingka Group | IKEA
Jin Dawod, Founder & CEO, Peace Therapist; 2024 UNHCR Nansen
Refugee Award Winner for Europe
15:30 – 16:00 | Panel Discussion: Key Challenges and Opportunities for Labour Market Inclusion in Europe
Jean-Christophe Dumont, Head of the International Migration
Department, OECD
Catherine Woollard, Director, European Council on Refugees and Exiles
(ECRE)
Susanne Klink, Senior Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Officer,
UNHCR
Nataliia Gryschenko, Director, Association SVOJA
16:00 – 16:25 | Break and explore exhibition
16:25 – 17:10 | Workshop: Opportunity Lab – Unlocking potential through collaboration
Group 1: Language & cultural integration
Group 2: Skills assessment, upskilling, and skill recognition
Group 3: Social Integration Services & Support Systems
Group 4: Policy & legal framework: Access to work
Group 5: Financing for refugee integration
Group 6: Recruitment & employment
Group 7: Economic self-reliance & entrepreneurship
Group 8: Recruitment & employment
You will receive which group you take part in before the event. Please
do think of the main challenges and opportunities you see regarding
refugee integration in your roundtables focus area.
17:10 – 17:40 | Sharing and Solutions Marketplace: Multistakeholder Action Plan
Moderated by Shirin Pakfar, Chief Private Partnerships and
Philanthropy, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
17:40 – 17:50 | Keynote address: The way forward – a new perspective to integration and inclusion
Anila Noor, CEO, New Women Connectors
17:50 – 18:00 | Closing Remarks: Refugee Employment and Inclusion – Opportunities for Europe
Mario Nava, Director-General for Employment,
Social Affairs and Inclusion
Evening Agenda: Celebratory dinner and networking
18:00 – 18:50 | Cocktail hour & networking
Participants are invited to vote on the multistakeholder action plan
during cocktail hour and explore the exhibition
Musical background by Kabunga, project of the Malian artist
Zonatan Dembele
18:50 – 19:05 | Celebratory remarks: Moving forward together
Filippo Grandi, High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR,
the UN Refugee Agency and
Jesper Brodin, CEO, Ingka Group | IKEA; Chair,
The B-Team; Vice-Chair, UN Global Compact
Tolga Öncü, Chief Retail Operations Manager, Ingka Group | IKEA
19:05 – 19:15 | Dinner Opening: A Culinary Journey of Resilience
Obada Otabashi, CEO & Founder of WeExist
19:15 – 20:15 | Dinner & music
Dinner by WeExist “Made by Syrians. For Everyone.”
Musical background by Kabunga, project of the Malian artist
Zonatan Dembele
20:15 – 20:20 | Closing
Tolga Öncü, Retail Operations Manager, Ingka Group | IKEA
Be part of this transformative event
Join us in Brussels to help create a world where every person forced to flee can build a better future. Together, we can unlock economic and social opportunities for businesses, refugees, and the communities which welcome them.
For questions or further information, please contact team@ofcores.events
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