DHC remarks – Amazon pro bono week

It’s a real pleasure to be here today as we officially launch the partnership between Amazon and UNHCR. We are excited about what we can achieve together, working with and for people who have been forced to flee their homes. I am also delighted to hear that colleagues from DLA Piper are present—thank you for the fantastic collaboration we have shared over the years. Your dedication to pro bono work, both individually and collectively, is truly inspiring. In a world where the number of people forced to flee continues to rise, I have seen firsthand how even the smallest efforts can ripple far beyond our immediate circles. And having just learned about the incredible rewards that will be handed out later, I am even more convinced that you all can make a big difference.

Each year, thanks to the pro bono legal support provided by lawyers like you, thousands of refugees gain access to justice, ensuring that they are treated fairly regardless of their financial situation. One of them is Ella, a primary school teacher who fled Ukraine in 2022 with her two children. After arriving in Poland, she received pro bono legal support that helped her feel safe and welcomed. For many displaced people, arriving in a foreign country can be overwhelming. Even everyday tasks such as opening a bank account or getting a SIM card can be blocked by legal and policy barriers. Ella’s story is just one example of how lawyers and public policy experts like you make a real difference. And since Amazon is known for innovation and for doing the impossible, I want to challenge you to think big about how we can build a brighter future for people forced to flee.

Let me take a moment to tell you a bit more about the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. We are a global organization with a very local impact—just like Amazon and DLA Piper. Like you, we are focused on serving the people with and for whom we work, making sure our services reach those in need as quickly and effectively as possible. Like you, we are committed to innovation, sustainability, and making the best use of technology to become more efficient and greener. With nearly 20,000 people working across 590 locations worldwide, UNHCR is here to protect the lives, rights, and dignity of those forced to flee their homes due to conflict, war, or persecution.

This year has been particularly difficult. Conflicts are flaring up, insecurity is growing, and displacement has reached record levels. Today, 123 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes—a staggering number. From the escalating conflict in the Middle East to the crisis in Sudan and the ongoing war in Ukraine, we are witnessing the devastating effects of war. Sadly, humanitarian work comes with a great personal toll. This year alone, several UNHCR colleagues have lost their lives while protecting people forced to flee. As the need for humanitarian aid reaches an all-time high, our resources are being stretched like never before. And this is not just the case for UNHCR—it is true across the entire humanitarian sector. Government budgets are being squeezed, and many vulnerable people are not receiving the support they desperately need.

That’s why we must think creatively and innovate. At UNHCR, we are forging partnerships across sectors—working with governments, the private sector, charities, refugee-led organizations, development agencies, and international financial institutions. Together, we are finding lasting solutions for displaced people. This could mean advocating for policy changes so refugees can access safety, go to school, find a job, or open a bank account. It could mean unlocking funds to strengthen essential services in low- and middle-income countries, where most refugees live. It might involve advocating for refugees to resettle in a safe third country, or creating opportunities like educational scholarships, work visas, or private sponsorships. And it could involve working with technology companies to leverage their expertise, helping us solve critical challenges for UNHCR and refugee communities. Or, as we saw with Ella’s story, it could be as simple as providing good old-fashioned legal advice: explaining what rights are available, what decisions should be taken, and what forms to fill in. Some of this work is groundbreaking and exciting, while some of it may be less glamorous, more technical and behind the scenes. But all of it is essential, all of it is life-changing, and it requires a wide range of skills and expertise at every level—global, national, and local. That’s where you come in.

UNHCR values the unique insights and resources Amazon brings—not just through its legal team but across the entire organization. We are thrilled to deepen our collaboration with Amazon, starting with the legal team. Together, we have already kick-started several key projects, including efforts around financial inclusion and mapping refugee rights. The size and expertise of Amazon’s legal team will be invaluable in driving these initiatives forward. You are already making an impact. On 30 October, Amazon lawyers, DLA Piper, and Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) will join forces in Los Angeles and Seattle to hold clinics that will screen unaccompanied children for immigration relief. KIND is a nonprofit that works across the U.S. to meet the needs of unaccompanied refugee children. This is a wonderful opportunity for Amazon lawyers to have a direct, meaningful impact on the lives of these young refugees.

And this kind of support is needed not just in the U.S., but worldwide—in places like Mexico, Thailand, Morocco, South Africa, and Turkey. Could we use technology to expand this work globally? Could we create a digital platform that provides similar support? And how do we overcome challenges like limited internet access in low-income countries? These are tough questions, but solving them would have an incredible impact.

As conflicts drag on, millions of displaced people face years of living far from home. According to a recent report from the World Bank, a refugee spends an average of 13 years in exile. At UNHCR, we are not only focused on protecting their rights but also on helping them build resilience, gain economic independence, and create hope for the future. Financial inclusion is a key strategy in this. We provide cash assistance, giving refugees the power to address their most urgent needs. Whether through traditional bank accounts, mobile money, or innovative digital wallets, this support helps refugees take control of their lives. But access to financial services is inconsistent worldwide. The same applies to obtaining legal documentation, registration, and digital IDs. Where are the gaps, the missing, incomplete or flawed legislation, and in which jurisdictions? The challenges of employment rights in Australia are not the same as those posed by asylum laws in the Balkans. Working to end statelessness in the former Soviet Union is different from educating refugees about rights and laws in Chad. Registration and documentation in South America, versus defending and protecting women and girls in South Asia from gender-based violence, require different lawyers and very different approaches. Not just because of the subject matter, but also because of the many other aspects—language, culture, religion, ethnicity, age, and more—that are specific to each context. That’s where your expertise and rigor come in.

Through pro bono legal work, you can help drive the policy changes that ensure fairer systems for displaced people. Lawyers like you can challenge unjust practices, offer training to local organizations, and strengthen communities’ ability to respond to the needs of people forced to flee.

Lawyers have a unique ability to make a profound difference. Just this month, we honored five incredible women—a nun, an activist, a social entrepreneur, a volunteer aid worker, and a statelessness advocate—with the 2024 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award, which recognizes outstanding service to refugees and displaced people. This year’s global winner, Sister Rosita Milesi, is a farmer’s daughter who became a Catholic nun before getting a Masters in law and becoming one of Brazil’s leading voices for refugee rights. She has shaped migration laws, founded a migration studies center in Brasilia, and coordinated a network of 70 organizations that support refugees and local communities. Another past winner is Azizbek Ashurov, a lawyer from Kyrgyzstan who traveled far and wide, on foot, on horseback and four-wheel-drive, to find the thousands of people left stateless after the fall of the Soviet Union. He worked tirelessly to pull them out of the legal limbo they were in, helping them get documented and allowing them access to basic services and rights such as education and legal employment.

But you don’t need to win the Nansen Award to make a difference. Lawyers like you, by simply offering legal advice and helping navigate complex systems, can profoundly impact the lives of refugees. By ensuring they have a place to live, access to education, and legal support, you give them hope and a chance to rebuild their lives.

Our partnership with Amazon is just getting started, and we are excited about all the possibilities ahead. Legal pro bono work is only one area where we are working together, but there are many others. As two global organizations with vast reach, we have the potential to make a profound impact and facilitate opportunities for people forced to flee. Let’s be ambitious about this partnership. Businesses like Amazon have the power to drive positive change, and together with UNHCR, we can help create a better future for people forced to flee. Our collaboration allows us to leverage the incredible talent in your workforce, build new solutions, and raise our collective voices to advocate for refugee protection and solutions.

And let us not forget to involve refugees directly in our work for solutions. Some of you may have personal experiences of exile or know family members who have had to flee or are still living as refugees. At UNHCR, we too are customer‑oriented, and we believe that any solution must include the voices of refugees themselves. We are excited about this journey with Amazon, and we know this is just the beginning. While we operate on a global scale, those forced to flee are at the heart of everything we do. They inspire us, motivate us, and push us to overcome the challenges ahead.

As we come to a close, I would like to share a powerful story that truly captures the magic of what inclusive policies and dedicated support can achieve. Sometimes it is as simple as helping a young refugee navigate the path to school, apply for university, or secure a scholarship. This story also gives us a glimpse into how young refugees view the work of lawyers like yourselves. It was a quiet Sunday morning, 10 a.m., 13 July 2008. That’s the exact time and date that Monicah Malith, a South Sudanese refugee, recalls arriving in Eldoret, Kenya, after fleeing her home country’s brutal war with her aunt.

In her words: “As a child growing up in South Sudan, my world was defined by cattle. My father had a large herd, and we were constantly on the move in search of pasture and water.” At just 12 years old, Monicah already had four marriage proposals. A year after reaching Eldoret, she enrolled in primary school. She was the oldest child in her class, spoke only her native language, couldn’t write her name, and didn’t know how to count to ten. Today, Monicah is a law student at the University of Nairobi. In 2023, she was elected President of the University of Nairobi Students Association. I had the privilege of meeting her just last month in New York, where she spoke at the Summit of the Future before the UN General Assembly, addressing world leaders on behalf of millions of forcibly displaced people. One of the things she told those leaders was that the future belongs to those who demand more justice, more equity, more humanity.

Her journey—from a barely literate refugee to an aspiring lawyer—is a testament to the power of education and support. She has achieved a position where she now has the tools and the platform to drive real change. The potential of our collaboration is vast. I hope this story gives you a sense of how your pro bono legal support can transform the lives of millions of refugees and displaced persons. And I hope you are as excited as I am to see the incredible things our partnership will achieve.