At the end of 2024, an unprecedented 123.2 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events disturbing public order. To compound matters, 73% of 36.8 million refugees globally are hosted in low- and middle-income countries. 23% live in the least developed countries. Here, refugees and host communities alike often find themselves enduring extreme poverty and scarce economic opportunities. Further, the majority of refugees worldwide live in protracted situations for five years or more, making most refugees less suited for emergency relief than for longer term solutions.
The global number of refugees has doubled within a span of less than seven years. Refugees, nationals in host communities, and host country governments experience increasing social and economic pressure. In addition to new and protracted conflicts, impact of climate change will significantly add to the numbers of the forcibly displaced in the coming years. Refugees and nationals in host communities are often forced into informal employment without regular earnings and social protection, thus, leaving many with little resilience to shocks and highly dependent on humanitarian aid. In locations where the level of poverty of refugees and host communities is on par, disparities in access to relief, resources and infrastructure often create pressure on refugees and nationals alike. This in turn puts fiscal and political pressures on hosting governments and social services, particularly in low-income countries.
Enabling refugees to work in their host country has received renewed attention in the past years as a way to combine development needs of host communities and countries with the humanitarian needs of refugees. When refugees are able to work, their self-reliance is enhanced, and they are able to provide for themselves and their families, increase resilience, regain dignity, and build independent and meaningful future. Ultimately, access to livelihoods and jobs enables the impoverished to meet their needs for protection, food security, health, housing, and other essential services in a safe, sustainable, and dignified manner. A growing body of evidence suggests that including refugees in local economies contributes to economic growth, and can thus be mutually beneficial for refugees and host communities. Overall, access to work reduces pressure on refugees and hosts locally, contributes to economic growth, and therefore eases pressure on the host country as a whole.
In December 2018, the United Nations adopted the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) in which member states committed to the objectives of reducing pressure on host countries and enhancing refugee self-reliance. This is to be achieved by increased international burden and responsibility sharing, and by mobilizing the international community and stakeholders as a whole. In line with the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals, the Compact calls for alleviating poverty which is itself a significant root cause of large refugee populations.
In response to the global poverty situation among refugees and nationals in host communities, and in line with the GCR spirit, a coalition between the UNHCR, The World Bank Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI) and 16 NGOs has been formed with the goal of alleviating poverty for refugees and host communities in selected countries. The partners are: AVSI, BOMA Project, BRAC, Caritas Switzerland, Concern Worldwide, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Fundación Capital, GOAL, HIAS, Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Trickle Up, Village Enterprise and World Vision, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) , Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative.
.jpg/:/cr=t:0%25,l:16.64%25,w:66.72%25,h:100%25/rs=w:365,h:365,cg:true)
