Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative

📖 NEW BLOG POST: In December 2023, the RSRI spearheaded the launch of the Multistakeholder Pledge on Economic Inclusion and Social Protection (EISP) at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum (GRF) in Geneva, the world’s largest gathering in support of refugees and the countries that host them. The groundbreaking pledge brought together a record number of commitments from 272 pledging partners, including 89 states and regional bodies, and $1 billion USD in immediately pledged investments. One year later, the RSRI reflects on the pledge’s progress and the future of economic inclusion and social protection for refugees: https://buff.ly/3DyPAnl

📰 The Syrian refugee crisis is one of the most pressing humanitarian challenges of our time. Since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, millions of Syrians have fled their homes in search of safety. In host countries like Turkiye and even within Syria itself, self-reliance programming is crucial to helping displaced people rebuild their lives. RefugePoint's latest blog post explores the root causes of the crisis, the current situation for Syrian refugees, and how organizations like RefugePoint and the RSRI are making a difference. Read the blog post now: https://lnkd.in/erfAmEW5

Thank you to those who joined us yesterday for a 1-hour webinar hosted by the RSRI Market Systems Development (MSD) Task Team Facilitator, Sasha Muench! The webinar featured presentations from Nadja Nutz, Technical Officer for Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Markets at the International Labour Organization, and John Francis Omusolo, Regional MSD Advisor for Africa at Mercy Corps. 📼 Missed the webinar? Watch the recording now: https://buff.ly/3DmgNtk

🗓️ THIS WEEK (December 11): The RSRI is hosting a 1-hour webinar to discuss the advantages and challenges of combining direct and systems-level approaches to achieve greater impact on refugee self-reliance. Led by the RSRI Market Systems Development (MSD) Task Team Facilitator, Sasha Muench, this webinar will feature presentations by Nadja Nutz, Technical Officer for Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Markets at the International Labour Organization, and John Francis Omusolo, Regional MSD Advisor Africa for Mercy Corps. Register now to join us: https://buff.ly/3CMLOXe

Climate change and its effects are increasingly impacting displaced people’s lives. Often coupled with an enduring lack of rights, assistance, and legal frameworks, climate hazards restrict the ability of displaced people to become self-reliant. The RSRI Climate Risks and Self-Reliance Technical Working Group (TWG), facilitated by Evan Easton-Calabria, presents 10 key considerations to advance the conversation on good practices, gaps, and changes needed in self-reliance programming to better address the current and future risks that climate change poses for displaced people. 📰 Read the full brief: https://buff.ly/4fvL5YR

🌍 The Self-Reliance Index (SRI) is the first-ever global tool for measuring the progress of refugee households toward self-reliance. Launched in 2020, the SRI is used by organizations worldwide to support the design and provision of effective services, target populations for assistance, highlight service gaps, and inform funding priorities. Today, the SRI is being deployed by 65 agencies in 32 countries across the globe! Learn more about the SRI and download Version 3.0: https://buff.ly/3Sxmsl6

💻 Join us on Wednesday, December 11 for a 1-hour webinar hosted by the RSRI Market Systems Development (MSD) Task Team Facilitator, Sasha Muench! Featuring presentations by Nadja Nutz, Technical Officer for Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Markets at the International Labour Organization, and John Francis Omusolo, Regional MSD Advisor Africa for Mercy Corps, this webinar will review the theories behind (and discuss the advantages and challenges of) combining direct and systems-level approaches to achieve greater impact on refugee self-reliance. Register now: https://buff.ly/3CMLOXe

🤝 Partner Spotlight: Danny Cutherell serves as the Africa Director for the Refugee Investment Network (RIN), the first impact investing and blended finance collaborative dedicated to creating long-term solutions to global forced migration. He's also one of the RSRI's newest Steering Committee members! An experienced project director and team builder, Danny has led programming that supports forcibly displaced people across Africa and South Asia. Before joining RIN, Danny developed and managed a portfolio of refugee-focused education and livelihoods projects as the East Africa Director for the World University Service of Canada (WUSC - EUMC). He also led Mercy Corps's economic development programs in Pakistan, managed the Aga Khan Foundation's community development portfolio in Afghanistan, and worked in a variety of research and policy roles for the Center for Global Development, The World Bank, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Interested in learning more about RIN's work? Join Danny at the next RSRI Community of Practice learning call on Wednesday, December 4: https://buff.ly/3Zg5Jqf

💡 Missed last week's #MSD201 webinar? Check out the presentation on "Applying Market Systems Approaches to Employment and Entrepreneurship Programs for Forcibly Displaced and Host Populations" below and watch the recording now: https://lnkd.in/ewX5JXMt This 1-hour webinar will help you understand how to use market systems approaches to increase the sustainability, scale, and impact of your programs and support forcibly displaced and host populations to achieve self-reliance.

As the UNFCCC negotiations at #COP29 continue this week, there is an urgent need to consider how climate change and its overlapping risks impact the #selfreliance of refugees and other displaced people. Sudden- and slow-onset climate hazards, coupled with an enduring lack of rights, restrict the ability of displaced people to live in dignity and become self-reliant. Self-reliance programming, underpinned by broader policies addressing the intersections of climate change, displacement, and self-reliance, must take these challenges into account in both design and implementation. This brief is a joint output of the Climate Risks and Self-Reliance Technical Working Group (TWG) hosted by the RSRI and facilitated by Dr. Evan Easton-Calabria. It seeks to advance the conversation on good practices, gaps, and changes needed in self-reliance programming to better address the current and future risks that climate change poses for displaced people. 📰 Read the brief: https://buff.ly/4fvL5YR