Google's Sundar Pichai to co-chair council to help Ukranian, Afghan refugees settle in US

Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google-parent Alphabet.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Tuesday revealed that he would be co-chairing a new council with more than 30 other CEOs to help Ukranian and Afghan refugees settle in the US.

Pichai said the move "builds on Google's long-standing support for immigrants, Dreamers and refugees, and will help people through access to technology, jobs and more."

Proud to co-chair a new @WelcomeUS CEO Council with 30+ CEOs to help Afghans & Ukrainians resettling in the US. It builds on Google's long-standing support for immigrants, Dreamers and refugees, and will help people through access to technology, jobs +more https://t.co/CxLOuJbBLO

— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) April 12, 2022

According to its website, the Welcome.US CEO Council is a cohort of leaders from across business sectors committed to supporting initiatives to mobilize private sector resources to support those seeking refuge in the US.

"Co-chaired by Accenture Chair and CEO Julie Sweet and Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, the Welcome.US CEO Council has members from many of America’s largest and most iconic companies," the website stated.

Other CEOs involved with the initiative include Apple's Tim Cook, Adobe's Shantanu Narayen, Bank of America's Brian Moynihan, Microsoft's Brad Smith and Pfizer's Albert Bourla.

This comes amid one of the largest refugee crises of this century, with over 4.5 million Ukrainians fleeing for safety across Europe -- a number the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees expects will increase as the conflict continues.

The US recently announced that more than 100,000 Ukrainians will be allowed to seek refuge in the country, which follows more than 75,000 Afghan newcomers already being resettled in American communities—seven times the number of refugees resettled in the United States in 2020.

“One of this country’s greatest strengths is the diversity of our people. We may come from different backgrounds, but we come together in times of need to welcome those seeking refuge,” stated Nazanin Ash, CEO of Welcome.US in a release.

“I proudly welcome our new CEO Council and their commitment to support our new Afghan and Ukrainian neighbors. Their commitment will also make it possible for us to answer the call to support other newcomers in the future. This unprecedented collaboration is a testament to our country’s expansive capacity and willingness to welcome those seeking safety here in the United States.”