The focus on self-reliance has increased as more refugees have been displaced long-term (known as “protracted displacement”) and because donor budgets for non-emergency situations have decreased. As a result, refugees are expected to become economically self-reliant, and thus minimise the “burden” on the international community.
But following years of work and research with refugees in sub-Saharan Africa, my colleague Naohiko Omata and I argue that, in reality, this system doesn’t always work. Instead, the promotion of self-reliance can result in unintended and undesirable consequences for refugees.
