UNIQLO DONATES 1 MILLION MASKS TO REFUGEE AGENCY
Uniqlo parent company Fast Retailing is strengthening its global partnership with UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, to help people forced to flee during the current COVID-19 crisis. Under this latest agreement, Fast Retailing plans to donate 1 million Uniqlo AIRism masks to UNHCR country operations including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Egypt, and Iraq from the end of February 2021. UNHCR will distribute these masks to refugee families in particularly vulnerable situations.
For the 79.5 million people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes, Coronavirus is a crisis in addition to a humanitarian emergency. Many are living in overcrowded settlements where health care, water, and sanitation systems are already severely strained and access to basic items such as soap can be extremely limited. In such a devastating global crisis, Fast Retailing and UNHCR commit to protect and provide aid to people forced to flee, as they strive to achieve a more sustainable world where ‘no one will be left behind.’
“To be able to create a truly sustainable society, Fast Retailing believes that it is essential to secure a safe environment for refugees, the most vulnerable people in the world, and help them to rebuild their lives,” said Tadashi Yanai, chairman, president, and CEO of Fast Retailing. “We have therefore been providing clothing and other assistance to refugees for over 10 years now in collaboration with UNHCR. While supporting refugees who face the immediate threat of the coronavirus pandemic, we contribute toward finding a longer-term solution to the refugee problem through our apparel business.”
“When people are forced to flee, they risk losing everything – from their homes and belongings, to their jobs and their identities,” added Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “COVID-19 further impacts their vulnerable circumstances, generating a crisis on top of an existing emergency. Through Fast Retailing’s longstanding contribution of clothing donations, livelihoods programs, and emergency response, refugees have a chance to rebuild their lives and hope for their future.”
Fast Retailing and UNHCR this year celebrate 10 years of a global partnership to support refugees. Through its agreement with the UN Refugee Agency, Fast Retailing has committed to contribute U.S. $4.5 million (475 million Japanese yen) over a three-year period in support of UNHCR’s operations, including an in-kind donation of up to seven million pieces of clothing annually until August 2023. While Fast Retailing continues to assist specific emergency situations where UNHCR operates, including areas of the coronavirus response, the global partnership also represents a commitment to work together to support the self-reliance and livelihoods of refugees and raise global awareness about the issue of forced displacement.
To mark the 10th anniversary of their important partnership, Uniqlo and UNHCR have released “Closer Through Our Clothes,” a short film that follows the journey of a Japanese school girl’s favorite dress to a refugee camp in Uganda, as it makes its way from one owner to the next.