The scale of the current Syrian refugee crisis has generated significant involvement from private actors, including corporations and individuals. With governments overwhelmed and unable to adequately address the situation, the private sector has a critical role to play in providing for immediate humanitarian needs, as well as supporting refugee resettlement and integration. Private sector involvement in economic development and job creation is also a key component of the long-term solution, which goes beyond this current crisis.

While Syrians trying to reach Europe have dominated headlines, there are many other large refugee populations from a wide variety of countries, including Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia and Sudan. While some of these situations have endured for decades, others are relatively new, or have worsened in recent years. These refugees have settled throughout the world, from Kenya to India, Russia, Pakistan and Chad.

By the end of 2015, 1 in 122 people in the world had been forced to flee his or her home. More than 20 million people are currently refugees, the highest number in over two decades. Millions of others have been forced to move within their own countries: counting both refugees and internally displaced persons, the United Nations estimates that as many as 60 million are currently displaced, a number that has risen rapidly from the 45.2 million reported in 2012. The sheer volume has made it difficult for the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, and host governments to cope. Asylum applications were up 78 percent from 2014 to 2015, and the pressure on host countries has grown significantly.