Incubating the future of business in Iraq

Since 2011, more than 5.6 million people have fled Syria, arriving in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Many Syrian refugees are highly skilled, highly educated, and technologically savvy. In fact, a UN survey conducted in 2015 in Greece showed that 86% of Syrian refugees had secondary or university degrees. Despite these skills, countries across the Middle East have either denied refugees the right to work or curtailed it by only allowing them employment in certain labour-intensive sectors. However, Iraq, unlike many of its neighbours, has allowed Syrian refugees freedom of movement and the right to work since the onset of the conflict.