Learning with David Miliband
I love learning and see life as one long university education I never had. One way I’m continuing my education is on Learning with Richard Branson, my Siriux XM radio show. I was fortunate to be joined by David Miliband from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for our latest episode.
David and I were proud to launch the Business Refugee Action Network (BRAN), taking a stand for refugees and calling on governments to do more alongside businesses. Virgin are co-founders of BRAN, alongside the IRC, Ben & Jerry’s, The B Team and the Tent Partnership for Refugees.
We discussed why we have started BRAN on the show, which you can listen to now. With the help of my co-host John Fugelsang, I also got chance to ask some questions of David. He is always fascinating to spend time with, whether commenting upon refugees, politics or any other subject. He shared his views on everything from why hiring refugees is good for business to what individuals can do to help.
We talked about how the climate crisis is affecting refugees – you can see that discussion in the video above. We also touched upon an often-overlooked topic: how inflammatory language can have a major impact upon refugees and the broader discourse surrounding them.
While there was some lively debate, we certainly agreed on the need for everyone to do more to support refugees. This isn’t just a feel-good exercise; the economic case is solid. Investing in refugees opens doors to new talent and ideas that will benefit all our businesses for the better.
BRAN has committed to measures including hiring refugees; integrating refugees into core business activities; developing vital goods and services; providing investment and funding for humanitarian response and livelihoods; and building strong, collaborative partnerships to benefit refugees.
Refugees are being left behind as the world strives to achieve the UN’s goal of equality for all. If it's of interest, listen to this episode of Learning With Richard Branson to explore the issues more, and head over to the IRC to read our full statement.
If you enjoy that, you may consider listening to previous episodes of Learning With Richard Branson on ocean conversation, space travel and entrepreneurship over on Sirius XM.