In 2005, the UNHCR Council of Business Leaders was launched by UNHCR's Deputy High Commissioner Ms. Wendy Chamberlin at the Annual World Economic Forum in Davos. UNHCR's Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie participated in this succesful event as the guest of honour.

Building on the generosity demonstrated by initial investments made by UNHCR's leading corporate partners, the council's current members
(Manpower, Microsoft, Merck, Nike, and PricewaterhouseCoopers) are planning to contribute to improving the livelihoods of the most disadvantaged and are committed to working hand-in-hand with UNHCR.

The Council pursues a multi-sectorial and action-oriented approach where corporate partners tackle one part of UNHCR's operations, such as health, education, technology, branding, human resources, self-reliance support and change management. The role of the Council is to:

The Council members meet quartely, of which once in a field location to witness and experience projects in action. A first field mission to visit refugee camps in Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi was organized in March 2006 and the Council members showed great enthusiasm for UNHCR's work and commitment to refugees. The group dynamics during the mission illustrated how well companies can work side by side to make a difference in the lives of refugees. As a result, a follow up meeting was organized in May 2006 in Washington DC to discuss future cooperation.