Economic Rights for Refugees

Marianthe Stavridou, an expert in business ethics at the Zurich Center for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, joins forces with lawyer Sumon Vangchuay of the Graduate Institute in Geneva to study the often-precarious economic situation of asylum seekers and refugees in Switzerland. On the basis of international refugee law, they call for better integration and a right to engage in microenterprise. A UN study has shown that refugees and asylum seekers denied such opportunities are at risk of becoming socially and economically isolated. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees recommends the adoption of integration policies that would allow people in these situations to become economically productive. The key features would include the recognition of foreign diplomas and degrees as well as access to education and further training. Stavridou and Vangchuay believe that integrating refugees and asylum seekers into the workforce would enhance the competitive and innovative strength of the Swiss labor market and give rise to new forms of collaboration.

Artistic realization: Regula Zuber