{"id":3432,"date":"2022-07-05T17:43:46","date_gmt":"2022-07-05T17:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.refugepoint.org\/?p=3432"},"modified":"2023-12-27T17:59:36","modified_gmt":"2023-12-27T17:59:36","slug":"refugepoints-vision-for-the-future-of-humanitarian-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.refugepoint.org\/refugepoints-vision-for-the-future-of-humanitarian-response\/","title":{"rendered":"RefugePoint’s Vision for the Future of Humanitarian Response"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2021, RefugePoint launched a three-year strategy<\/a>. In it<\/a>, we highlight the importance of reimagining what refugee response looks like in partnership with refugees themselves, and driving large-scale systemic change to support lasting solutions.<\/p>\n

As we arrive at the midway point, I\u2019ve reflected on the progress we\u2019ve made and where we\u2019re headed as an organization. I\u2019m sharing these thoughts here.<\/p>\n

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OUR CORE APPROACH<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Our work is focused on a single outcome: helping refugees find a solution that enables them to thrive and lead dignified lives. We do this in two ways. The first is to help refugees stabilize, earn income, and integrate in the countries to which they have fled so they can meet their own essential needs\u2014we refer to this as self-reliance. The second is to help refugees who can\u2019t remain safely where they are to permanently relocate to a new country to rebuild their lives. We do this through resettlement and other pathways to safety, such as family reunification and labor mobility.<\/p>\n

We use a distinctive approach. We develop innovative programs, demonstrate that they work, and scale them. We call this our AIDE framework through which we drive large-scale change:<\/p>\n

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RefugePoint\u2019s programs are built on our core work around resettlement and self-reliance. Our resettlement efforts have opened up opportunities to build other relocation program pathways through family reunion, labor mobility, and other humanitarian channels. Our flagship program for self-reliance, the Urban Refugee Protection Program in Nairobi, Kenya, has opened up opportunities to partner with others to build the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative in order to promote self-reliance on a global scale. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the halfway point of our three-year strategy, there are two overarching points that we\u2019ve learned:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Our Strategic Objective of Resettlement and Other Pathways is More Necessary than Ever<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The world is now at a highwater mark of forced displacement with over <\/span>100 million<\/span><\/a> people who have fled from home, including over 30 million refugees. The current willingness of governments to bring in refugees underscores the importance of our focus on expanding resettlement and other pathways, and the urgency of doing so as quickly as possible. The current US and Canadian administrations, among others, have focused on bringing in more refugees, and creating new pathways to do so. But, political winds and administrations shift. The next changes could lead to a more hostile orientation toward refugees. We need to take advantage of this unique window.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Our strategic objectives include expanding the reach of the traditionally limited scope of resettlement. Many refugees fleeing life-threatening situations find themselves in countries where there is little or no access to resettlement. We are working to rectify that so refugees have access no matter to which country they\u2019ve fled. This can increase the number of refugees identified for resettlement so governments can fill and expand their quotas. It also protects people from risking onward journeys. (In too many places, resettlement isn\u2019t available, and refugees are subjected to what\u2019s considered a \u201cpull factor\u201d\u2014 risking dangerous journeys to get to a location from where resettlement is taking place.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    We think of expanding resettlement possibilities as <\/span>equitable access<\/span><\/i> to resettlement. A primary mechanism for this envisioned expansion is to deploy our own staff to locations across Africa, the Middle East, and other countries that fit our strategic objectives, and train and support other organizations to identify refugees for resettlement.\u00a0 To complement this operational expansion, we authored a now-widely-cited report, Preserving the Humanitarian Nature of Resettlement, to highlight the importance of equitable access to resettlement<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Our strategy also includes building new resettlement-related programs that are distinctly suited to our values and capabilities. In the past few years we\u2019ve built labor mobility and family reunion programs. We aim to embed these programs into the international humanitarian response system so they can scale widely.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Our<\/span> 2021 Annual Report<\/span><\/a> highlights our accomplishments from the first year of our strategic plan. Some of the resettlement and other pathways highlights include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n