※ The English version follows below.
Refugee-Led Economic Models: From Entrepreneurship to Cooperative Futures
Roundtable on Digital Inclusion & Refugee Empowerment
◆Introduction
In December 2025, during the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) Progress Review 2025 in Geneva, Robo Co-op participated in and contributed to multiple international dialogues and linked events.
These engagements were grounded in a shared commitment to reframe refugees not as passive recipients of aid, but as active agents shaping economic and social systems.
At a time when humanitarian assistance is declining globally, there is an increasing need to shift from short-term support toward sustainable, dignity-centered economic systems.
Robo Co-op approaches this challenge through three interconnected pillars: refugee leadership, cooperative economic models, and digital inclusion, combining on-the-ground practice with policy-relevant dialogue.
◆Shared Perspectives from GRF 2025 Week
Across the GRF-related events, several common perspectives emerged:
▫Refugees are not beneficiaries alone, but key contributors to economies and societies
▫Sustainable and long-term economic models are essential to foster self-reliance and dignity
▫Digital technologies and AI must be leveraged as tools for inclusive transformation, not exclusion
▫Meaningful progress requires collaboration among refugee-led organizations, the private sector, and international institutions as equal partners
Robo Co-op engaged in these discussions by aligning its cooperative and refugee-led approach with global conversations on inclusion and sustainability.
Related Event 1
Refugee-Led Economic Models: From Entrepreneurship to Cooperative Futures
This session convened refugee-led organizations and social enterprises from Japan, Panama, Switzerland, Ukraine, and beyond to explore refugee-led cooperatives, entrepreneurship, and alternative economic models.
Participants examined pathways to economic self-reliance beyond humanitarian aid, structural challenges within legal and procurement systems, and the role of cooperative models in enabling collective agency.
The discussion reaffirmed that refugee-led organizations are central actors in advancing inclusive and sustainable economic systems.
Related Event 2
Roundtable on Digital Inclusion & Refugee Empowerment
Held in Geneva, this roundtable brought together international organizations, private-sector actors, NGOs, and refugee-led organizations to discuss digital inclusion as a pathway to refugee empowerment.
Concrete practices were shared across regions, including AI-enabled skills development, digital cooperative work, and employment pathways connected to labor markets. At the same time, participants emphasized that digital inclusion must move beyond isolated pilots or CSR initiatives, and instead be designed as people-centered, market-linked, and protection-sensitive systems.
◆Looking Ahead: Robo Co-op’s Commitment
Robo Co-op works to create environments where refugees and other marginalized communities can work, learn, and participate in society on their own terms.
Cooperative structures, digital technologies, and refugee-led approaches are not ends in themselves, but means to build inclusive, resilient, and sustainable economic systems.
Building on the dialogue and partnerships fostered during GRF 2025, Robo Co-op will continue translating global discussions into practical, collaborative action.