Lord Dr. Michael Hastings speaks at the Concordia Annual Summit in New York City on September 19, 2017.
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Hiring, educating and resettling refugees and asylum seekers is the “next big challenge” for businesses, says a long-time leadership professor and UNICEF vice-president.
“The big, ugly elephant in the room is immigration. There are now more than 120 million people moving from one place where they live to another place where they live, often as refugees or immigrants seeking asylum or trying to build this movement of people, “Michael Hastings said, Refer to United Nations data About people who are forcibly displaced.
Hastings urged business leaders to “get a grip” on the issue and ask themselves: “How are we going to provide education and employment, legal services, institutions and housing and dignity for younger generations and women?” He told CNBC’s Tania Blair in an interview Shi said.
Low- and middle-income countries host 75% of the world’s refugees, and about two-thirds of refugees live in poverty. According to the European Commission.
Hastings has been an advocate for the underrepresented throughout his career and current positions include chair of SOAS (formerly the School of Oriental and African Studies) at University of London and professor of leadership at Utah State University.
Hastings praised business leaders for tackling the challenge of climate change by reducing carbon emissions and the use of single-use plastics, but said they needed to go further. “The business community is missing out on the next big challenge. Yes, climate is a big thing. We’ve got a handle on it, but immigration is the next big issue. We need to get on top of that challenge, too,” he said.
Around the world, the majority of refugees (73%) come from five countries: Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Venezuela, According to the European CommissionDisplaced from their homes due to conflict, violence or disasters such as floods.
“People are losing their lives, desperate to find another future,” Hastings said, describing people trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, the Mexico-U.S. border and the English Channel.
Hastings, a member of the House of Lords, said the British government needed to find out where migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats came from.
“You have to ask, why are they here?” he said. “Let’s go back to the source of supply and really invest in the prospects and future of peacemaking,” he said. “This is a European-wide problem. This is a North American problem. This is a development world problem.”
Hastings has previously undertaken corporate social responsibility and citizenship roles at organizations including the BBC and KPMG, and is known for his purpose-focused leadership. “If someone has a purpose that drives their thinking and actions, it drives your spending, your time, your emotional commitment. My purpose is to speak for the poor and make a difference.” The power of the rich unleashes the potential of the poor ,” he said.
Hastings describes the leader’s role as that of a “servant” rather than a “controller.” “Above all, a leader must be a vulnerable person who knows that a leader’s true purpose is to help others rise,” he said.
