Ben & Jerry's Calls on World Leaders to Protect the Rights of Refugees

New flavour "Cone Together" highlights the need for a more coordinated, compassionate response to the reality of displacement

LONDON and GENEVA, Dec. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ice cream activists Ben & Jerry's is standing with progressive NGOs and refugee charities across Europe to launch "Cone Together", a new flavour created to call for the rights of refugees to be advanced and protected.

The new awareness-raising flavour was unveiled by co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield at the first-ever UN Global Refugee Forum in Geneva. Elected politicians, business leaders, activists, and experts from around the world gathered at the Forum to find a way forward to enable the more than 70 million people who have been forced to leave their homes to be able to rebuild their lives in safety.

Ben & Jerry's, supported by Refugee Action, Sea Watch, Red Acoge and others, believes that leaders can choose to create a fairer system that upholds the dignity and rights of people who have been displaced.

Ben & Jerry's have pledged to mobilise more than 250,000 of its fans over the next three years through activism campaigns. The company will also grow its refugee entrepreneurship programme, Ice Academy.

Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen said: "Progress is possible when enough people come together and demand better. We believe in using our business and our connection with our fans to highlight important issues and help them take action. The truth is people's lives are being wasted, communities damaged and families separated – and it's a choice our leaders don't have to keep making."

Stephen Hale OBE, Chief Executive of Refugee Action, said: "People are being forced from their homes due to violence, persecution and environmental disasters. Our political leaders must respond with respect and compassion and create fair and effective immigration systems. We can all play a part by coming together and holding our governments to account."  

Matthew McCarthy, CEO of Ben & Jerry's, said: "We are proud to stand in solidarity with those who believe that all people have rights, no exceptions, and that refugees are welcome. Refugees and people seeking asylum are our family, our friends and our neighbours. The moment is now for our leaders to rewrite the rules that allow people to participate in our communities and raise their families in safety."

Inside the new tub, ice cream lovers will find Fairtrade vanilla ice cream, with chocolatey covered waffle cone pieces and a salted caramel swirl. A portion of the proceeds of Ben & Jerry's new tub will support six progressive organisations working to honour the rights of refugees. You can find the awareness raising flavour in stores across the UK from the start of February.  

Cone Together is the latest step in Ben & Jerry's multi-year refugee advocacy work. Tens of thousands of Ben & Jerry's fans have already joined the company in this effort, including the Right to Work campaign in the UK and Start with a Friend in Germany.

To learn more about the flavour and the company's commitment to bringing people together, go to Ben & Jerry's website.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's have been making great ice cream since the company was founded by school friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, back in 1978. Their aim is (and always has been!) to make the "best possible ice cream, in the nicest possible way". Ben & Jerry's is committed to using business as a force for good, and has supported movements for climate justice, social change and democracy across Europe in recent years. This campaign is the latest instalment in Ben & Jerry's mission to help create a sweeter world. 

*Refugees in this context refers to the general idea of persons who've been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, natural disaster, or persecution and includes refugees, IDPs, asylum seekers and more.

Please find hi-res images on the following links: Outside the UN | Tub with placard | Scooped into bowl | Group Shot | Ingredients |

Over the next three years, Ben & Jerry's will be working with NGOs across Europe to call for the following policy asks:

• Greater international cooperation to the reality of people on the move
• The improvement of national systems of asylum and resettlement
• Initiatives that build connections between newcomers and locals

 To hear more about the commitments made by business leaders at the Global Refugee Forum, visit: unhcr.org/uk/global-refugee-forum

About our partners

Refugee Action
Refugee Action is a national charity that supports refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK. Our vision is that refugees and people seeking asylum will be welcome in the UK. They will get justice, live free of poverty and be able to successfully rebuild their lives. Find out more here: www.refugee-action.org.uk.

Sea-Watch
Sea-Watch is a non-profit organization that conducts civil search and rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean. In the presence of the humanitarian crisis, Sea-Watch provides emergency relief capacities, demands and pushes for rescue operations by the European institutions and stands up publicly for legal escape routes.

Red Acoge 
Red Acoge is a coalition of 20 organizations that came together in 1991 to promote the rights of migrant people in Spain. The organisation arises from a recognised need to combine efforts and to promote joint projects to ensure coordinated support for migrant people and people seeking asylum. Currently, the network is focused on working with migrant people, people seeking asylum and stateless persons, and to work for policies in favour of safe and regular migration.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1056984/Cone_Together.jpg  
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1056985/Cone_Together_UN.jpg