Could inclusion in national social protection schemes be a more sustainable response to forced displacement, benefiting both host countries and people driven from their homes by complex crises?

Picture this scene – a packed auditorium, spontaneous clapping and cheering as the audience rise to their feet, visible emotion on many faces. It is, in fact, the closing ceremony of the second Global Refugee Forum (GRF) in Geneva in December 2023.

The second GRF in 2023 saw over 4,200 participants from 168 countries come together including over 300 refugee representatives. More than 1,600 pledges were submitted including financial commitments amounting to about USD 2.2 billion.

As one of the largest donor and host countries for displaced people, Germany plays a key role in the lively international debate about forced displacement and was well represented at the GRF where it submitted 38 pledges. Speaking at the forum’s Plenary Session, Minister Svenja Schulze, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), acknowledged both the huge strides made since the first GRF in 2019 and the enormous challenges that remain. 

She said: ‘Being both a host and a donor country, Germany understands the need for urgent action and more global solidarity.’ Minister Schulze continued:

Let us not lose the momentum. Let us intensify our efforts and solidarity.

BMZ Minister Svenja Schulze

Policy Adviser Clara Graulich, Sector Project Displacement, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), was also at the forum in person. She says that after three days of intense talks the atmosphere of the closing ceremony was charged. 

This was a goosebump moment for me. After months of preparation, the commitments made by so many countries, organisations and refugee experts, and the hard work that lay behind us and also ahead, I looked around at all these people in the forum and felt very moved.

Clara Graulich, Policy Adviser, GIZ

Forced displacement – the global picture 

The call for intensified efforts by Minister Schulze comes at a time of record forced displacement. Globally, more than 108 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2022 according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) – an all-time high. Since then, the number has continued to grow. While the majority of displaced people move within their own country (internally displaced people or IDPs), others seek refuge in other countries – 35 million at the end of 2022. Over 70% of refugees stay in immediate neighbouring countries which are often affected by poverty and crises themselves. In fact, low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) host 76% of the world’s refugees, putting a strain on national resources like food, water and education, and increasing the risk of tension between displaced and host communities.  

While most displaced people hope to return to their home, this is often not possible due to complex, protracted crises. According to UNHCR data, 67% of refugees have been displaced as a result of protracted crises. In 2022, refugee returns stood at almost 340,000 while more than 114,000 refugees were resettled in a third country. Internally displaced people (IDPs) are also often unable to return to their home area for many years. For example, most Syrian IDPs have been unable to return to their home area for more than five years.

The changing global conversation on how best to meet refugee needs

Both the Geneva Convention of 1951 and Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement state thatdisplaced people must be treated the same as the national citizens of their host country with regard to inclusion in national systems like social protection. But, in practice, refugees are rarely fully integrated.

Traditionally, support systems to meet the needs of refugees have been provided in parallel with national support systems and have often been humanitarian-led. But, in recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in international discourse and policy – a growing recognition that including displaced people in national systems can be, if not a silver bullet, at least a more sustainable and lasting solution. 

The Ukraine and Venezuela forced displacement situations have accelerated this shift. In both cases, those fleeing from the two countries have been able to access social protection and work in their host countries. For example, in the case of people fleeing from Ukraine, the EU activated the Temporary Protection Directive. This allows Ukrainian refugees to move freely around the EU and gives them a wide range of socio-economic rights. 

Strengthened international cooperation – the Global Compact on Refugees and Global Refugee Forum

International legal frameworks and commitments have mirrored the changes in discourse and policy making. For example, in 2016, the UN General Assembly adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. This called for refugee inclusion; greater international sharing of the burden and responsibility for meeting refugee needs; and the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus, the policy concept urging stronger collaboration and coordination between humanitarian action, development cooperation and peacebuilding initiatives. 

Two years later, in 2018, the UN General Assembly adopted the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), another cornerstone of the international conversation around inclusion of displaced people. The GCR is a framework for long-term, sustainable solutions which has four key goals, namely to: ease the pressure on host countries; enhance refugee self-reliance; expand access to third-country solutions; and support conditions in countries of origin for a safe and dignified return for refugees. 

The GCR called for the creation of a Global Refugee Forum (GRF) and this was held for the first time a year later in 2019. It brought together states, NGOs and refugee representatives to support implementation of the GCR, primarily by voluntary pledges to mobilise support for displaced people and their host countries.

How German development cooperation is supporting inclusion of displaced people

Many of Germany’s pledges at last year’s second GRF relate to social protection and economic inclusion and also match pledges submitted by host countries, including pledges from Ethiopia, Kenya and Mauritania. For example, BMZ pledges to: 

• Commit at least 50% of the budget of the Special Initiative “Displaced Persons and Host Countries” to address social protection and economic inclusion between the period of 2024 to 2027.
• Provide 200,000 income and employment opportunities for both displaced people and host communities in the Middle East through the Partnerships for Prospects (P4P) programme. 
• Continue to support Mauritania in its efforts to include displaced people in the country’s social protection systems, helping the Government to register refugees and provide cash benefits as well as give displaced people access to basic services such as education, health services and job opportunities.
• Continue to promote employability and entrepreneurship in both refugee and host communities in Kenya by supporting the country’s ‘Shirika plan’ to turn its giant Kakuma and Dadaab camps into more open and integrated settlements, helping refugees access jobs and services.

Social protection is the set of policies and programmes designed to prevent and protect people from vulnerability, poverty and social exclusion. Given that forcibly displaced persons are among the most vulnerable in any society, social protection can be a crucial way to support their immediate needs, prevent them falling into poverty, create prospects for the future, and strengthen their resilience to shocks. 

Inclusion in social protection also reduces the burden on humanitarian actors, increases the agency of refugees to meet their own needs and can help maintain social cohesion in host countries. According to the World Bank Social Safety Net Report (2018), basic social protection schemes reduce extreme poverty in low and middle-income countries by more than a third. 

German flexible crisis instrument to support displaced people  

One of the key ways in which German development cooperation supports displaced people is through its Special Initiative “Displaced Persons and Host Countries”. Introduced in 2014, this flexible crisis instrument complements traditional bilateral development cooperation, enabling a rapid and targeted response as crises unfold. Between 2014 and 2022, it has supported more than 33.5 million people in 78 countries through almost 320 projects. Rooted in the Leave no one behind (LNOB) principle, it takes an integrative approach, meeting the needs of both displaced and host communities and, where possible, promoting the inclusion of displaced people in national systems such as social protection. 

One of the Special Initiative’s almost 320 projects is the global SUN programme, short for ‘Support to UNHCR in facilitating the operationalisation of the Global Compact on Refugees in the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus.’ Established in 2018, this programme is implemented jointly by GIZ and UNHCR and aims to turn the Global Compact on Refugees into reality on the ground.

How Mauritania is using social protection to facilitate inclusion 

Mauritania is one of the countries where the SUN programme is being implemented through a project called ProNexus. Since 2021, GIZ, UNHCR and the Government in Mauritania have worked together to develop local solutions to strengthen the socio-economic inclusion of displaced people as well as vulnerable members of host communities. Mauritania has an open-door policy towards refugees and, according to UNHCR, hosts 127,967 officially registered refugees and asylum seekers including the largest number of Malian refugees in the Sahel region. People living in countries in the Central Sahel region (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger) face a severe humanitarian and protection crisis, pushing millions to flee their homes.

Under the Government of Mauritania’s policy of inclusion, displaced people are gradually integrated into national services, starting with social protection and healthcare.

Head of the Pro-Nexus project, Hamza Ould Bakar, says the first and most important step is to register displaced people and assign them a national identification (ID) number. Good collaboration between the National Civil Registration Agency of Mauritania and UNHCR, supported by the project, has made this possible. Once they have a national ID number, displaced people can access a range of services based on their vulnerability levels. Again, this inclusion is facilitated by effective collaboration between the Pro-Nexus project and the various ministries and other entities. Since 2022, displaced people have been able to access cash benefits from the Mauritanian national Social Register, with which the project works closely.

Hamza Ould Bakar says: ‘Over recent years, we have had the privilege of witnessing significant evolution in the Mauritanian national Social Register. The government, supported by partners, has used innovative, modern digital solutions to optimise its processes and include refugees in the registry database. 

‘The Pro-Nexus project has played a key role in these efforts, particularly the work to optimise the methodology for targeting and categorising vulnerable refugee groups.’ 

Alongside access to social protection, displaced people in Mauritania are also given access to other basic services such as education, clean water/sanitation facilities, and livelihood opportunities so they can start up their own businesses and begin contributing to the country’s social insurance and taxation system. Plans are now underway to include displaced people in the country’s new health insurance scheme.

Hamza Ould Bakar says: ‘Inclusion in social protection and other support systems enables these highly vulnerable people to become autonomous and, in time, means that they’re able to make their own way and support themselves and their households.’

He adds:

Inclusion is complex and challenging. What’s important is to have a government partner that understands the importance of social protection and key ministries who are willing and supportive of including refugees.

Hamza Ould Bakar, Head of ProNexus Project – GIZ

He continues: ‘In Mauritania, the government was ready to include refugees. This commitment was confirmed during the Global Refugee Forum in 2019 and further expanded during the 2023 forum. This has greatly facilitated our mission as it means we are able to have open and transparent discussions with government bodies motivated to find solutions and even willing to inject funds, with the support of the international community.’ 

He continues:

Because of the enduring relationships and ties that transcend mere neighbourly connections, especially in Hodh El Chargui, the region that hosts approximately 90% of refugees, Mauritanians in this area view refugees as a strength – individuals bringing in expertise that could contribute to the development of the region.

Hamza Ould Bakar, Head of ProNexus Project – GIZ

This positive view of the benefits brought by displaced people and the sustainability of including them in social protection systems may not yet be embraced by all countries hosting displaced people. But, as the evidence mounts about how inclusion can reduce the burden on humanitarian actors and on taxpayers, strengthen national systems, and increase the agency of refugees, leveraging their skills and expertise, many more may come to see social protection as a powerful tool to help address forced displacement. 

Zita Adamson,
April 2024