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On October 14, the Swedish authorities announced it was nominating the CEO of IKEA, Jesper Brodin, arsenic its campaigner for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Less than a period later, arsenic the existent precocious commissioner, Filippo Grandi, approached the extremity of his mandate, Brodin resigned from his presumption astatine the Swedish furnishings giant, which helium had led for 8 years. In January 2026, the bureau of the UN secretary-general is expected to contiguous a preferred campaigner to the General Assembly for what erstwhile UNHCR caput of probe Jeff Crisp has called a “pro forma election”. Can the erstwhile main of an iconic multinational institution go the world’s highest authorization connected refugees — and what volition it mean if helium does?
In interviews, Jesper Brodin often refers to a tiny pamphlet by IKEA laminitis Ingvar Kamprad, titled The Testament of a Furniture Dealer, arsenic outlining the values that animate his mode of doing business: innovation, sustainability and corporate effort implicit individualism. Does the UNHCR request to larn lessons from a “furniture dealer”? The question matters due to the fact that Brodin’s entreaty is often framed successful presumption of firm values, yet it remains unclear however — oregon whether — these construe into the extortion of refugees. Whether Brodin has immoderate accidental of making it to the Geneva station oregon not, the question is worthy asking, for the relation of IKEA arsenic a donor and operational spouse of the UNHCR is important and is apt to grow.
While humanitarianism and concern person historically been companions, peculiarly since the extremity of the Cold War, this is the archetypal clip a concern person has been projected to caput the UN exile agency. The information comes astatine a clip erstwhile the UNHCR faces a melodramatic currency crunch, and erstwhile governmental pressures and anti-refugee sentiment are expanding globally. Many scholars and practitioners judge the aboriginal of the planetary exile authorities itself whitethorn beryllium astatine stake. Understanding the implications of Sweden’s choice, then, requires examining however firm humanitarianism present shapes exile protection.
Many were taken aback by the nomination. Yet the determination by Sweden is thing but surprising. Over the past 3 decades, corporations person taken connected accrued work for responding to humanitarian crises, portion accepted organisations vie for a rapidly diminishing excavation of resources. Research connected the commodification of compassion has shown how, increasingly, “doing good” and “doing well” person go 1 and the same. This benignant of “brand aid” progressive some promoting commercialized brands (from Toms shoes to Starbucks) done their engagement successful humanitarian causes, and turning assistance itself into a branded enactment — thing astir efficaciously done done firm partnerships. It began astir 2 decades agone but has present go the ascendant exemplary of humanitarian engagement. As 1 large humanitarian donor successful Kinshasa told us, “It’s present each astir collaborations betwixt the backstage sector, businesses and philanthropists.” Indeed, erstwhile the tendency to assistance becomes thing you tin sell, corporations specified arsenic IKEA tin nett from engagement successful planetary helping that builds their ethical branding. But tin the UNHCR nett from being led by IKEA’s CEO? The question goes to the bosom of a increasing unease astir the absorption of the exile regime.
We spot 3 main problems here. First, UNHCR is caught betwixt contradictory demands from donor states successful the Global North and hosting states successful the South. Brodin and IKEA’s marque of feel-good capitalism cannot reconcile these cardinal tensions implicit sovereignty. Jesper Brodin has been lauded arsenic a businessman and touts his credibility arsenic a person and negotiator. “Trump likes radical successful the concern world,” we are told. However, the challenges to the agency’s extortion mandate necessitate a imaginativeness that goes good beyond the smiling look of compassionate capitalism. While formally remaining the guardian of the 1951 Refugee Convention, UNHCR has been operating successful what scholars specified arsenic Bhupinder Chimni person described arsenic an “erosion” of the planetary exile authorities — a semipermanent weakening of asylum norms and burden-sharing commitments. Donor governments successful the Global North person utilized their constricted enactment for UNHCR’s humanitarian activities successful the Global South arsenic a mode to deflect attraction from the disregard for exile rights wrong their ain borders. How volition Brodin fare successful navigating these competing pressures — from containment agendas successful the Global North to extortion obligations that prevarication astatine the bosom of UNHCR’s mandate?
Second, Brodin often mentions his acquisition arsenic a proviso concatenation manager successful a institution that has enactment logistical innovation astatine the halfway of its concern strategy arsenic an important plus for the job. Indeed, this aligns with UNHCR’s existent absorption connected renewing its ain proviso concatenation strategy. He besides talks astir “bringing the values and the assets of refugees to the concern community,” a operation helium uses to notation to refugees’ skills and labour potential. However, this endeavour has proved acold much analyzable than helium makes it sound. Almost 10 years aft IKEA’s archetypal effort to integrate refugees into its ain proviso chains successful Jordan, the fig of radical the programme involves remains small, and refugees successful the state inactive look important barriers to enactment and societal security.
A survey we published successful 2021 highlighted that a absorption connected exile logistics really meant moving towards integrating displaced radical into planetary proviso chains alternatively than providing them with worldly enactment oregon infrastructure. Whether for concern oregon for catastrophe relief, logistics beryllium connected networks of infrastructure and rules that lone relation done ongoing dialog with governments.
Finally, the contradictions of IKEA’s firm and instauration ownership operation — what makes it enactment good arsenic a concern — embody the paradox of mixing nationalist needs for exile extortion with backstage objectives for profit. The IKEA Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm, has been moving with UNHCR since 2010, supporting its operations successful 16 countries. The UN bureau defines the collaboration arsenic “transformative”, highlighting however it has go a exemplary for each its partnerships with the backstage sector. Moreover, the information comes astatine a clip erstwhile large donor states, including the US, the United Kingdom and Germany, are slashing their budgets. In this geopolitical context, Sweden, portion facing its ain economical challenges, whitethorn good beryllium seeking to involvement its presumption arsenic 1 of the past remaining humanitarian powers successful the Western world. Brodin’s bid draws connected Sweden’s perceived estimation for frugality and sustainability.
However, determination is an unspoken yet cardinal contradiction betwixt Brodin’s committedness to code UNHCR’s situation by “holding the purse strings” and the presumption of IKEA wrong planetary economical structures that person contributed to the humanitarian backing situation successful the archetypal place. In 2017, pursuing calls from EU parliamentary groups, the European Commission opened an in-depth probe into the Netherlands — wherever the institution is headquartered — for its taxation attraction of Inter IKEA, 1 of the 2 groups operating the IKEA business. The company’s ownership structure, which benefits its commercialized operations, whitethorn besides trim its taxation burden, thereby reducing contributions to nationalist finances. Here, arsenic successful galore different cases, large concern promises to hole planetary inequality it has helped create.
In the contiguous planetary clime of hostility to migrants and refugees, Brodin and IKEA’s marque of feel-good capitalism risks further hollowing retired UNHCR’s extortion mandate, reducing humanitarianism to a substance of well-managed proviso chains. The stakes are high: erstwhile humanitarian priorities are shaped by firm logic, halfway protections — from asylum entree to basal assistance — hazard being eroded. What benefits a concern organisation does not needfully service the rights oregon needs of refugees.
The views expressed successful this nonfiction are the authors’ ain and bash not needfully bespeak Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
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