While refugee self-reliance is not a new concept, establishing systematic criteria for measuring it is a new effort. In 2016, RefugePoint and the Women’s Refugee Commission brought together a community of practice to explore this topic and develop a universal measurement tool, the Self-Reliance Index (SRI).
This paper explores the challenges of measuring refugee self-reliance along with the literature and conceptual framework of self-reliance that underpins the development of the SRI. It also examines some of the concerns that have been raised related to self-reliance and charts recent progress and signs of momentum in expanding opportunities for refugee self-reliance globally.
