23rd Nov 2015

Techfugees and the Refugee Taskforce Meeting

The Refugee Taskforce is an emerging group of action oriented leaders seeking solutions to mitigate the growing European refugee crisis. UNHCR reports that over 800,000 refugees have arrived in Europe during 2015 alone, and another 15 million people have been forced to flee their homes across the Middle East. Urgent and scalable solutions are needed to address issues around identification, education, training, integration and basic needs.

While issues about safety and security dominate the news, it is the actions of NGOs, corporations and individuals that will prevent this calamity from growing worse. With an estimated 2 million people enroute to Europe and winter setting in, much needs to be done quickly. Hub Culture is developing resources and strategies, including deployment of digital identity via its HubID initiative, combined with developement of Ven digital currency resources for the global poor, to assist organizations aiding refugees.

The first Refugee Taskforce meeting will convene at the Hub Culture Paris Pavilion during COP21 on Thursday, 3 December, 2015. For details and information on attending the meeting, contact a Hub Culture Paris Valet.

In London, entrepreneurs, activists and technoligists are also coming together for Techfugees, on Wednesday, 2 December for a one day conference for the tech community to architect solutions to the refugee crisis. Tickets and sponsorship for this important event are still available, and the initiative is led by a group of volunteers from the London tech community. Accounts suggest the first Techfugees event held recently was an early success. A GoFundMe page has been set up to enable donations for this project.