Why Ben & Jerry’s are Together for Refugees

You might be wondering what an ice cream company is doing talking about refugees. It’s a good question, and we can’t blame you for asking. For an ordinary ice cream company, it wouldn’t make much sense. 

But we’re no ordinary ice cream company.  

Ever since our co-founders started this company back in 1978, we’ve always stood up for issues that matter to us, led by our guiding principles of fairness and equality. We’ve championed a lot of issues over the years, from marriage equality to climate justice to getting the dough out of politics. As a company, we believe we have a unique role to play in mobilising people for progressive change. So we speak out where we see injustice, and in the global refugee crisis, we see injustice. So we’re speaking up.  

We’ve teamed up with the International Rescue Committee and are urging our fans to join us in asking our European leaders to give vulnerable refugees a safe place to call home. 

Right now, our representatives in Europe are debating a crucial policy that would significantly change the face of Europe’s response to the refugee crisis.  The Union Refugee Resettlement Framework would provide some of the most vulnerable refugees with an opportunity to rebuild their lives in safety. But in order for it to pass, it needs as much support as possible. 

Home Safe Home 

Imagine closing the front door behind you without knowing if you’ll ever be able to return. For many people, this unimaginable prospect has become a reality. Right now, record numbers of people in Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and beyond are being forced to flee their homes due to war and violence. And each of them has a story — a person with hopes, dreams, and aspirations who just wants a safe place to call home. We believe that each and every person deserves just that. 

What Needs to Change? 

People fleeing conflict and persecution in their home countries are faced with dire options. Many wait for years in refugee camps in neighbouring countries, living in a constant state of limbo. Others have no other choice but to attempt to reach safety without government or agency help, often turning to human traffickers and risking their lives on dangerous journeys. A very small number are resettled into a foreign country where they can live in safety. 

In 2016, just under 14,000 people were resettled across the whole of Europe. But an estimated 1.19 million people are currently in need of a safe place to live. Right now, these people can’t get on with their lives: they can’t send their children to school, resume working, or start to feel like part of a community again.  

So, how can it be fixed? Ultimately, ending the conflicts and violence that causes mass displacement will be the real solution. But until that happens, one of the best things we can do is resettle as many refugees as possible. And up until now, there hasn’t been a coordinated long-term European plan for doing that. That’s what needs to change. 

What Will the New Policy Achieve? 

We have seen some inspiring responses to the refugee crisis, with communities across Europe opening their doors to support people who need it.  But now we need our leaders to step up and do more.  

The legislation, dubbed the “Union Resettlement Framework”, gives our leaders the opportunity to come together and agree on a sustainable, coordinated and humanitarian response to the refugee crisis. With a focus on resettling those most vulnerable, it will allow us to help more people rebuild their future by welcoming them to Europe through a safe and legal route.  

It’s just one piece of the puzzle — but it’s a big piece that would make an incredible difference to the lives of the most vulnerable people. 

It’s time for us to act NOW  

Your voice matters. The more of us that tell our representatives in the European Parliament to support this law this year, the more likely it is to pass. 

In 2015, our leaders showed that they are capable of coming together to begin to tackle the world’s biggest challenges when they reached an agreement at the historic Paris climate talks. Now is the time for our European leaders to do the same for the refugee crisis. 

You can make a difference in the time it takes to eat a scoop of Cookie Dough. Take the email action below and then share it with your friends and family. The more voices that speak out, the more likely the legislation is to pass, and the more likely we are to be able to offer vulnerable refugees a safe, secure path forward. They need our support more than ever.