UNIQLO’S SUPPORT TO REFUGEES AND OTHERS FORCED FROM HOME

According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, over 120 million people* around the world have been driven from their homes by conflict and persecution or are being forced to flee due to war and oppression.

To create a world where no one is forced to flee.

UNIQLO has been working with UNHCR since 2006 to support them. In 2011, UNIQLO and UNHCR entered a global partnership and since then we have been providing continuous support to people who have been forcibly displaced, regardless of their circumstances or where they come from. Along with UNHCR, in collaboration with other NGOs, we do not only provide goods and financial donations, but also extend comprehensive support to enable refugees and other displaced people to build new lives by offering vocational training and providing employment, boosting self-reliance.

Source: UNHCR Press Release – Global Trends Report 2024: UNHCR announces that the number of people forcibly displaced by conflict has reached a shocking high over the past decade. (June 12, 2025)

Emergency assistance

Support for Syrian Returnees (2025)

Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011, the country has experienced one of the largest forced displacements in the world. With the collapse of the Assad regime, a new sense of hope has emerged among many refugees and internally displaced persons that they may be able to return to their hometowns safely. However, the situation remains unstable, and the risk of being newly displaced still exists. The main concerns among refugees and internally displaced persons include: ensuring safety and security, economic hardship, and the availability of basic services in areas of return, especially electricity, water supply, infrastructure, education, and healthcare. In response to the needs of UNHCR’s support activities on the ground, Fast Retailing will contribute more than 1 million USD to support the voluntary return process of the Syrian people and assist in this critical phase of rebuilding their lives.

Support for the Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan (2024)

Two years have passed since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023. As of March 2025, Sudan has the highest number of internally displaced persons in the world, with approximately 11.3 million people displaced within the country. The total number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has reached 30.4 million. Many shelters lack even the most basic infrastructure, such as access to clean water. A large number of displaced people rely on food aid, and some are forced to survive on just one meal a day. Through this support initiative, we procured 2,000 food baskets for internally displaced persons, dispatched a water truck to a refugee camp in Red Sea State, where water facilities are not available, and helped ensure access to safe drinking water for vulnerable communities.

Humanitarian assistance for the Ukraine crisis (2022~)

Fund Raising

approx. 300,000USD

Monetary Support

10,000,000USD

Clothing Support

200,000

For more information (news release)

For the humanitarian emergency in Ukraine, Fast Retailing, parent company of UNIQLO, donated US$10 million (approx. ¥1.15 billion) to UNHCR to support people forced to flee. The donation provided urgent assistance such as shelter, psychosocial support and emergency supplies to affected populations in Ukraine and neighboring countries. In response to UNHCR's needs, Fast Retailing also announced a donation of 100,000 items of clothing and other products, such as UNIQLO HEATTECH blankets and HEATTECH innerwear. Individual UNIQLO operations in the EU have also started donating UNIQLO products and recycled clothes, including secondhand winter clothing that customers have brought into our stores. We are also raising funds from our employees and customers, and we have launched an employment program for those who have fled Ukraine in Germany and the Netherlands.

For more information (news release)

Clothing donations

Number of donated clothing items 81 countries and regions

Over 58,970,000 items

As of end August 2024

Afghanistan / Algeria / Angola / Australia / Bangladesh / Belarus / Belgium / Botswana / Brazil / Burkina Faso / Burundi / Cambodia / Cameroon / Canada / Central African Republic / Chad / China / Colombia / Cote d’Ivoire / Democratic Republic of the Congo / Denmark / Eswatini / Ethiopia / France / Georgia / Germany / Greece / Haiti / Hong Kong / India / Indonesia / Iraq / Italy / Japan / Jordan / Kazakhstan / Kenya / Kyrgyzstan / Laos / Lebanon / Liberia / Macau / Malawi / Malaysia / Mauritania / Mozambique / Myanmar / Namibia / Nepal / Netherlands / Niger / Pakistan / Philippines / Republic of Moldova / Russia / Rwanda / Saudi Arabia / Senegal / Serbia / Sierra Leone / Singapore / Solomon Islands / South Africa / South Korea / South Sudan / Spain / Sri Lanka / Syria / Taiwan / Tajikistan / Tanzania / Thailand / Togo / Tunisia / Uganda / United Kingdom / United States / Vietnam / Yemen / Zambia / Zimbabwe (Alphabetical Order)

*The total amount of clothing donations and donated countries are not limited through UNHCR and to refugees but through other organisations and to people in need.

As a company that makes clothes, one of the basic essentials for people’s lives, UNIQLO is always trying to maximise the “power of clothing.” We are determined to deliver clothing to people most in need, so we continue to collect items that our customers no longer wear and deliver them to refugees and other displaced persons around the world, or donate them to people in need in the countries and regions in which we operate.

For more information, visit Fast Retailing site

Supporting livelihoods and self-reliance

Number of refugees supported

20,114people

2016-2024

Iran

5,959people

Malaysia

5,953people

India

4,457people

Nepal

1,840people

Pakistan

778people

Bangladesh

773people

Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, and South Sudan

354people

Bangladesh Self-Reliance Support Project with UNHCR: Improving Hygiene and Creating Livelihood Opportunities

Since 2022, UNIQLO has been providing financial and technical support for self-reliance initiatives within the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. This project is implemented through production and training centers inside the camp, where participating women have acquired skills to produce reusable sanitary napkins and underwear distributed within the camp. The stipend earned through this production has become a vital source of support for their daily lives. As of February 2025, a total of 773 refugee women have completed sewing training, producing 7,662,141 reusable sanitary napkins and 1,913,172 pieces of underwear. This initiative is also supported by funds generously contributed through PEACE FOR ALL, helping to sustain and expand the impact of the project.

Supporting the MADE51 initiative that showcases handicrafts made by refugees

UNIQLO supports MADE51, one of the livelihood initiative of UNHCR, by raising awareness of the brand and supporting the participating refugees’ self-reliance. We have used MADE51 products as novelty items, which have helped to expand sales and brand visibility of MADE51. In 2021, 354 refugee artisans participated in the production of those items. Eighty-five per cent of the participating refugees said that they have been able to use the money they earned from the project to buy food for their families or pay for their children’s education and medical needs. Since 2021, Fast Retailing has donated a total of US$600,000 to MADE51.(As of December 2025) That donation is used for various purposes, including seed funding for local social enterprises who collaborate with MADE51, as well as developing product branding and strengthening MADE 51’s online store.

MADE51 official page

Employing refugees at UNIQLO stores

Refugee employment at UNIQLO stores and group companies in Japan

58people

In 2011, UNIQLO Japan began working with the RHQ (Refugee Assistance Headquarters) and other organizations to provide employment opportunities for people and families permitted to live in Japan permanently under official refugee status. Later, we started employing refugees in our stores outside of Japan, and today we actively promote the employment of refugees in countries around the world. The number of employed individuals rises every year. UNIQLO also provides training to store managers and supervisors to deepen their understanding of the refugee situation and to help refugees fulfill their potentials at work on a long-term basis.

* Including GU Co., Ltd and Innovation Factory Co., Ltd (As of April 2025)