Honeymooners and Global Rescue members Brittany and Noah Myers in Nepal the day before the 2015 earthquake

In December 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland, Global Rescue participated in a two-day event designed to gather expert advice of private sector employers, recruiters, and service providers on the development of guidelines and effective practices to better protect and assist migrant employees caught in countries experiencing conflicts or natural disasters.

Today, we live in an age of increased mobility with over 232 million international migrants worldwide. As a result, when conflict or natural disasters hit, migrants are often present in the crisis-stricken country and affected by the crisis.

Those words lay the foundation for the Migrants in Countries in Crisis initiative (MICIC), launched by the United States and the Philippines to improve the ability of States and others, including the private sector, to better prepare for, respond to, and protect the rights and dignity of ‘migrants’ caught in countries experiencing a conflict or natural disaster. MICIC defines ‘migrants’ as non-citizens or non-nationals in the country experiencing a crisis.

The MICIC continues:

While many migrants are resourceful and resilient in the face of such situations, a variety of factors create particular vulnerabilities for migrant populations, with limited means to ensure their own safety. In some cases, migrants may be trapped, and unable to leave the crisis area. Some migrants may be unable to access humanitarian assistance or unwilling to leave, due to fear of the loss of their jobs and the source of their family’s income.  In yet other contexts, migrants may need to seek refuge across borders in adjacent countries. Due to a lack of frameworks in these situations, international migrants may fall between the cracks of existing protection mechanisms and responses.

Global Rescue’s Jim Chiacchia served as a panelist in the session, Private Sector as Service Provider, moderated by Alfred Boll of the U.S. State Department. The discussion ranged from specific measures that can be taken to plan for the needs of migrant employees in potential crisis situations, including what kinds of transportation services are needed to get migrants in crisis situations to safety, and how emergency health and medical services can be best identified and provided in a timely and cost-effective manner. 

MICIC highlighted the story of Global Rescue member Brittany Myers, who was honeymooning in Nepal in 2015 when the earthquake struck. Following her safe return home, Myers was inspired by her experience to raise money for small business needs in Nepal.