Inditex and UNHCR Renew Partnership to Support Refugees

The new agreement, signed by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih and Inditex CEO Óscar García Maceiras, will run from 2026 to 2028.

UNHCR and global fashion company Inditex have renewed their strategic partnership, extending a collaboration that began in 2020 to provide greater support for refugees and forcibly displaced people around the world. The new agreement, signed by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih and Inditex CEO Óscar García Maceiras, will run from 2026 to 2028. As part of the commitment, Inditex will provide €13 million to improve living conditions for nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees living in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, one of the world's largest and most vulnerable refugee settlements.

The project will follow an Integrated Settlement Planning approach that focuses on making refugee communities safer, relocating families from high-risk areas, improving essential infrastructure, and strengthening protection against increasingly frequent climate-related disasters. These measures are intended to reduce the risks posed by landslides, floods, heatwaves, and lightning storms, which continue to threaten people living in the densely populated camps.

Clothing donations expand humanitarian support

The renewed agreement also broadens cooperation beyond Bangladesh by supporting refugee operations in other countries. Over the next three years, Inditex will donate 7.5 million items of clothing and footwear for refugees in countries including Uganda and Chad, while contributing an additional €2 million to cover the logistics required to transport and distribute the supplies. The partnership also focuses on improving safety inside refugee settlements, promoting climate adaptation measures, and creating opportunities that help refugees become more economically included through access to employment and skills development.

Private sector partnership drives long-term impact

Barham Salih said the partnership highlights the important role businesses can play in supporting refugees and the communities that host them, helping families meet urgent needs while building stronger resilience for the future. Óscar García Maceiras said supporting refugees remains a key part of Inditex's community investment strategy, reflecting the company's commitment to humanitarian assistance across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Alongside financial support and donated goods, both organisations will continue sharing expertise through pro bono initiatives that improve the efficiency, sustainability, and design of humanitarian programmes. Inditex said part of its contribution is funded through proceeds generated by its paper bag and packaging initiative, introduced in 2021 to encourage reusable alternatives.