Marin-based Autodesk Pledges Resources for Global Refugee Crisis: White House

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Founded in Mill Valley in 1982 and now headquartered in San Rafael, Autodesk is among 51 private-sector American companies — including Facebook, Google, IBM, Citigroup, IKEA and more — who have made "new, measurable and significant commitments to aid refugees in the United States and around the world" in response to President Barack Obama's Call to Action, the White House announced this week.

According to a White House statement:

"There are more than 65 million displaced people in the world today, the highest number on record since the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) began collecting statistics. More than 21 million of these people have crossed international borders in search of safety and are registered as refugees.

"A crisis of this scale requires more than government action. In issuing the Call to Action, President Obama challenged the U.S. private sector to draw on its unique expertise, resources and entrepreneurial spirit to help refugees regain control over their lives and integrate into their new communities. Their response is unprecedented.

"These companies, representing more than 2.5 million employees, more than $775 billion in annual revenue, and more than $3.2 trillion in market capitalization, are standing with the Administration to demonstrate that private sector innovation and resources can have a durable impact on refugees residing in countries on the front lines of the global refugee crisis and in countries of resettlement, like the United States. In total, these 51 companies have committed to investing, donating, or raising more than $650 million. These commitments will provide:

• Support for more than 6.3 million refugees across more than 20 countries;
• Educational opportunities for more than 80,000 refugees, including through digital content, mentorship, and classroom support;
• Employment opportunities for more than 220,000 refugees, including through mentorship, training, internships, and job placements;
• Greater financial inclusion and economic integration for more than 4 million refugees; and
• Partnerships with more than 70 refugee-serving NGOs."

According to the White House, "Autodesk pledges to make an estimated $2 million software donation to the UNHCR, offering 141 subscription licenses of Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite Ultimate and 141 subscription licenses of Autodesk InfraWorks to support UNHCR’s physical settlement planning and design capacity, and also to recommend a financial grant of $50,000 to support the adoption of technical solutions to help refugees in conjunction with Microdesk.

"Facebook pledges to bring Wi-Fi connectivity to 35 locations across Greece, in partnership with NetHope; develop a strategy for bringing internet connectivity to individuals living in refugee camps and surrounding communities, in partnership with UNHCR and local partners; leverage the Facebook social media platform to raise awareness and funds for the refugee crisis; and donate advertising credits and creative services support to UNHCR and other refugee-serving organizations.

"Google pledges to provide new funding and technical expertise to organizations enabling 10,000 out-of-school primary school-aged refugees in Lebanon to access free formal education through a new primary school classroom model in 2017."

To read more about which companies are participating and the pledges they have made, click here.