Beyond Flat Packs: Why Sweden's Push for an Ex-IKEA CEO to Lead UNHCR Signals a New Refugee Order

A New Chapter for Refugee Protection: Corporate Leadership at the Helm of UNHCR?

In a move that has sparked significant discussion, the Swedish government put forward Jesper Brodin, former CEO of global furniture giant IKEA, as its nominee for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This nomination arrived as current High Commissioner Filippo Grandi's term concluded, leading to Brodin's resignation from IKEA after eight years at its helm. As the UN Secretary-General prepares to present a preferred candidate for a largely procedural election in January 2026, a critical question emerges: what does it signify if a prominent business leader assumes the world's most senior role in refugee affairs? This potential shift, driven bySweden’s push for an ex-IKEA CEO to lead UNHCR, signals a new refugee order.

Brodin often cites IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad’s “The Testament of a Furniture Dealer” as his guiding philosophy, emphasizing innovation, sustainability, and collective effort. While these corporate values are often highlighted as Brodin's appeal, their direct translation into the complex realm of refugee protection remains ambiguous. Regardless of Brodin's ultimate success in securing the Geneva post, this question is vital, especially given IKEA's substantial and growing role as a donor and operational partner to the UNHCR.

The Shifting Landscape of Humanitarian Aid: Business Meets Compassion

The intersection of humanitarianism and business is not new, particularly since the Cold War era. However, proposing a business leader to head the UN refugee agency marks an unprecedented moment. This development unfolds against a backdrop of severe funding shortages for UNHCR and escalating global anti-refugee sentiment and political pressures. Many experts now suggest that the very future of the global refugee regime hangs in the balance.

While the nomination surprised many, Sweden's action reflects a broader trend. Over the past three decades, corporations have increasingly shouldered responsibility in humanitarian crises, as traditional aid organizations vie for diminishing resources. The phenomenon of “commodification of compassion” illustrates how “doing good” and “doing well” have merged. This “brand aid” involves not only promoting commercial brands through humanitarian causes but also transforming aid itself into a branded, corporate-partnership-driven activity. As one major humanitarian donor articulated, the focus is now firmly on “collaborations between the private sector, businesses, and philanthropists.” This model allows companies like IKEA to build ethical branding through their global engagement. But can UNHCR truly benefit from being led by an IKEA CEO? This crucial query cuts to the heart of growing anxieties about the trajectory of refugee protection.

Key Concerns: Navigating the Complexities of Corporate-Led Protection

Our analysis reveals three primary areas of concern regarding this potential shift:

1. Reconciling Contradictory Demands on UNHCR

UNHCR faces a fundamental dilemma, caught between the conflicting demands of donor states in the Global North and host states in the Global South. Brodin’s “feel-good capitalism” brand, while appealing, may struggle to bridge these deep-seated tensions over national sovereignty. While lauded for his leadership and negotiation skills, the challenges confronting UNHCR's protection mandate demand a vision that extends far beyond the surface of compassionate capitalism. UNHCR, despite being the formal guardian of the 1951 Refugee Convention, operates within what scholars describe as an “erosion” of the international refugee regime, marked by a long-term weakening of asylum norms and burden-sharing commitments. Donor governments in the Global North often use their limited support for humanitarian efforts in the Global South to divert attention from their own disregard for refugee rights. How effectively will Brodin navigate these immense pressures, from containment agendas in wealthy nations to the core protection obligations central to UNHCR's mission?

2. Beyond Supply Chains: The Human Element of Refugee Integration

Brodin often highlights his background as a supply chain manager, aligning with UNHCR’s current efforts to revamp its own logistical strategies. He also speaks of “bringing the values and assets of refugees to the business community,” referring to their skills and labor potential. However, integrating refugees into global economies is far more intricate than it sounds. Nearly a decade after IKEA’s initial attempts to integrate refugees into its Jordanian supply chains, the program’s scale remains modest, and refugees in the country still encounter substantial barriers to employment and social security.

A 2021 study we conducted underscored that a focus on “refugee logistics” often prioritizes integrating displaced individuals into global supply chains rather than directly providing material aid or essential infrastructure. Both business and disaster relief logistics rely on intricate networks and rules, which only function through continuous government negotiation.

3. The Paradox of Corporate Ownership and Public Need

The intricate ownership structure of IKEA—a key to its business success—paradoxically embodies the conflict between public needs for refugee protection and private profit objectives. The IKEA Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm, has collaborated with UNHCR since 2010, supporting operations in 16 countries. UNHCR hails this partnership as “transformative,” positioning it as a blueprint for private sector engagement. This nomination also comes as major donor states, including the US, UK, and Germany, are significantly cutting their humanitarian budgets. Amidst its own economic challenges, Sweden may be seeking to reassert its role as a humanitarian power in the West, with Brodin’s bid leveraging Sweden’s reputation for fiscal prudence and sustainability.

However, there's a profound, unspoken contradiction: Brodin's promise to manage UNHCR's financial crisis by “holding the purse strings” clashes with IKEA’s position within global economic structures that have, in part, contributed to the humanitarian funding shortfall. In 2017, the European Commission investigated the Netherlands—where Inter IKEA, one of the two groups operating the business, is headquartered—for its tax treatment of the company. IKEA's ownership structure, while benefiting its commercial operations, may also reduce its tax burden, thereby decreasing contributions to public finances. This echoes a pattern where large corporations promise to solve global inequalities they may have inadvertently exacerbated.

The High Stakes: Protecting Core Humanitarian Principles

In the current global climate of rising hostility towards migrants and refugees, the “feel-good capitalism” exemplified by Brodin and IKEA risks further diminishing UNHCR’s protection mandate, reducing humanitarianism to merely well-managed supply chains. The stakes are profoundly high: when corporate logic dictates humanitarian priorities, essential protections—from access to asylum to basic assistance—face the threat of erosion. What benefits a business organization does not inherently serve the fundamental rights or urgent needs of refugees.