Publication:
Changing the Narrative on Forced Displacement: Findings from the UK-UNHCR-World Bank Building the Evidence on Forced Displacement Research Program

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (5.65 MB)
142 downloads
English Text (268.18 KB)
7 downloads
Other Files
Executive Summary (682.49 KB)
38 downloads
Date
2024-07-29
ISSN
Published
2024-07-29
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Forced displacement has become a phenomenon of tragic proportions. By the end of 2022, more than 108 million people were forcibly displaced, having escaped conflict, violence, or persecution. Low- and middle-income countries absorbed 76 percent of this displaced population, and often for a protracted period, as two-thirds of the total refugee population remain displaced for many consecutive years.1 A new policy resolve emerged at the height of the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015 and matured in 2019 with the ratification of the Global Compact on Refugees. Viewing forced displacement as a humanitarian and development challenge, the new approach recognized that cooperation and coordination must improve among governments and humanitarian as well as development actors in responding to forced displacement. Anchored on the principle of ‘responsibility sharing’, the Compact constituted the basis to guide this more effective response to forced displacement. But lack of data and evidence impeded the formulation of evidence-based policies and programs to address forced displacement. In 2015, reliable microdata on refugees was scarce and difficult to obtain. For internally displaced persons (IDPs), such data was nearly non-existent. These data gaps limited opportunities for rigorous research, which in turn constrained opportunities for evidence-based policymaking
Link to Data Set
Citation
World Bank. 2024. Changing the Narrative on Forced Displacement: Findings from the UK-UNHCR-World Bank Building the Evidence on Forced Displacement Research Program. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/41962 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Learning from the Evidence on Forced Displacement
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-08-01) World Bank
    In recent years, forced displacement has become a phenomenon of tragic proportions. Every year, more people are forced to flee their homes to safer shelter, either within their countries’ borders or in the low- and middle-income countries where 76 percent of the forcibly displaced find refuge. A historian writing in the 22nd century may regard the first quarter of the 21st century as a pivotal period for the history of forced displacement, when the number of forcibly displaced persons more than doubled from approximately 40 million people in the early 2000s to 108.4 million people at the end of 2022. This amounts to a staggering 1 in every 74 people on earth. These figures are provoked by protracted conflicts and new conflicts, violence, persecution, or severe political and economic crises taking place in many parts of the world. Displacement is rarely a short-term predicament. Many who become displaced remain displaced for years. At the end of 2022, 67 percent of the 108.4 million people who have fled their homes endured protracted displacement. For the displaced, healthcare, education, and employment opportunities become uncertain. Most of the displaced take refuge in low- and middle-income countries. Media coverage often focuses on refugees fleeing into affluent nations, such as the influx of Syrians and Ukrainians to countries in Europe. However, nearly seven out of ten people who flee violence are internally displaced within the borders of their home countries or live as refugees in neighboring low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A new policy resolved started taking shape at the height of the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015. Increasingly, forced displacements were viewed as a humanitarian and development challenge. Development and humanitarian practitioners recognized the protracted nature of forced displacement situations and their impact on many already struggling low- and middle-income countries. They also recognized the need for more cooperation and coordination between humanitarian and development actors in these contexts. The ratification in 2019 of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) was an important milestone in support of a shift to an improved forced displacement response, anchored on the principle of responsibility sharing.
  • Publication
    Displaced Persons from Ukraine in Moldova
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-08-13) World Bank
    As the number of forcibly displaced persons around the world reached a record 120 million in June 2024, the World Bank continues to deepen its efforts to understand and respond to the unique needs of these vulnerable populations. In recognition of the level of priority this issue has taken on in The World Bank, the 2023 edition of the annual World Development Report (WDR) focused on the topic of Migrants, Refugees and Societies. This WDR includes a specific call for a medium-term perspective that addresses the needs of refugees and prioritizes clear global and national responsibility sharing. The World Bank’s support for people displaced outside of their home countries is underpinned by its adherence to the Global Compact on Refugees, adopted by the United Nations in 2018. Most recently, The World Bank adopted a new corporate scorecard which includes the provision of services and livelihoods to displaced persons and host communities as one of the organizations’ 15 main results indicators.4 This study aims to identify the key impacts, needs of refugees and their host communities in Moldova and recommendations for addressing these needs. It builds on previous and ongoing assessments by various agencies, including UN agencies, to better understand the current and future implications of refugee movements and settlements in Moldova, especially in terms of service delivery, infrastructure, household livelihoods and local government capacity. This report’s survey focused on LPAs because these local officials are the primary government points of contact for displaced population in their communities as well as the interlocutors between displaced persons and national government departments. This study focuses on the perspectives of LPAs and the open-ended expressed needs and experiences of displaced persons.
  • Publication
    Assessing the Impacts and Costs of Forced Displacement : Volume 1. A Mixed Methods Approach
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-05-01) Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, Elena; Ruiz, Isabel; Vargas-Silva, Carlos; Zetter, Roger
    Globally, over 40 million people have been forced to leave or flee their homes due to conflict, violence, and human rights violations either as refugees outside their country of origin or Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). A substantial number live in protracted displacement where return has not been possible.Forced displacement is a humanitarian crisis: but it also produces developmental impacts - short and longer term, negative and positive - affecting human and social capital, economic growth, poverty reduction efforts, environmental sustainability and societal fragility. A prevailing view is that refugees are a burden on the development aspirations of host countries and populations and that negative socio-economic and environmental impacts and costs outweigh the positive contributions (actual or potential) that forcibly displaced people might make. The losses incurred by the displaced populations themselves reinforce perceptions of vulnerability and dependency and thus assumptions of the burden they might impose. This study provides such a methodology. The development and drafting of the methodology and the state of the art literature review was conducted by the refugee studies centre, with valuable and constructive inputs from the partner organizations.
  • Publication
    Safety Nets in Contexts of Violence, Fragility and Forced Displacement
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-08-21) Della Guardia, Anne; Lake, Milli; Saidi, Mira
    The rapid expansion of social safety nets in contexts affected by violence, fragility and forced displacement raises questions about whether such programs can relieve the worst forms of insecurity and vulnerability in affected communities. To answer this question, the authors analyze 394 qualitative interviews from Burkina Faso and Cameroon (West and Central Africa). As the first study of its kind conducting cross-country comparative research in varied security contexts, the authors posit three channels – material, social, and political – through which social protection can shape experiences of violence, fragility and forced displacement. The authors found that social assistance, or social safety nets, built resilience by smoothing consumption and relieving the pressure of unanticipated shocks while programs were ongoing. However, because many of the most vulnerable inhabitants directed transfer spending towards immediate subsistence needs, safety nets rarely resulted in additional income-generating opportunities or enduring material effects beyond the program’s conclusion. Although trends diverged across regions and security contexts, the authors identified tentative evidence of social and political effects, in the form of expanded social networks, cohesion and interdependence among some beneficiary groups, and greater confidence in existing institutions when beneficiaries attributed the safety net to the government. The authors examined these impacts across regions facing distinct levels and types of insecurity.
  • Publication
    Competitiveness and Growth in Brazilian Cities : Local Policies and Actions for Innovation
    (World Bank, 2010) Zhang, Ming; Zhang, Ming
    Given the Brazilian federal government's high priority on economic growth, competitiveness is at the top of the economic agenda. While economic policies at the national level are important to this agenda, more than 75 percent of people live in urban areas, which produce more than 90 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). 'What can cities do to improve economic performance and create jobs?' Mayors, governors, and federal government officials have frequently asked this question. For cities, economic competition has become more intense with globalization. Many municipal officials have been striving to enhance municipal infrastructure and services, while others have also been working on reducing the cost of doing businesses to make their areas more attractive for private investment. On the other hand, promoting local economic growth without considering local context and market conditions does not always achieve expectations. The policies discussed in this report are essentially about promoting local economic development. However, the author believe that the term competitiveness, as a dynamic concept, is helpful for local policy makers as it implies two essential aspects of promoting local economic development in today's environment: (a) cities not only need to provide a good business environment, they need to strive to provide a better one than others, at least in certain aspects (or niches); and (b) cities need to continually upgrade and innovate to achieve sustained growth.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-05-21) World Bank
    This report provides an up-to-date overview of existing and emerging carbon pricing instruments around the world, including international, national, and subnational initiatives. It also investigates trends surrounding the development and implementation of carbon pricing instruments and some of the drivers seen over the past year. Specifically, this report covers carbon taxes, emissions trading systems (ETSs), and crediting mechanisms. Key topics covered in the 2024 report include uptake of ETSs and carbon taxes in low- and middle- income economies, sectoral coverage of ETSs and carbon taxes, and the use of crediting mechanisms as part of the policy mix.
  • Publication
    Poverty, Prosperity, and Planet Report 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-15) World Bank
    The Poverty, Prosperity, and Planet Report 2024 is the latest edition of the series formerly known as Poverty and Shared Prosperity. The report emphasizes that reducing poverty and increasing shared prosperity must be achieved in ways that do not come at unacceptably high costs to the environment. The current “polycrisis”—where the multiple crises of slow economic growth, increased fragility, climate risks, and heightened uncertainty have come together at the same time—makes national development strategies and international cooperation difficult. Offering the first post-Coronavirus (COVID)-19 pandemic assessment of global progress on this interlinked agenda, the report finds that global poverty reduction has resumed but at a pace slower than before the COVID-19 crisis. Nearly 700 million people worldwide live in extreme poverty with less than US$2.15 per person per day. Progress has essentially plateaued amid lower economic growth and the impacts of COVID-19 and other crises. Today, extreme poverty is concentrated mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa and fragile settings. At a higher standard more typical of upper-middle-income countries—US$6.85 per person per day—almost one-half of the world is living in poverty. The report also provides evidence that the number of countries that have high levels of income inequality has declined considerably during the past two decades, but the pace of improvements in shared prosperity has slowed, and that inequality remains high in Latin America and the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa. Worldwide, people’s incomes today would need to increase fivefold on average to reach a minimum prosperity threshold of US$25 per person per day. Where there has been progress in poverty reduction and shared prosperity, there is evidence of an increasing ability of countries to manage natural hazards, but climate risks are significantly higher in the poorest settings. Nearly one in five people globally is at risk of experiencing welfare losses due to an extreme weather event from which they will struggle to recover. The interconnected issues of climate change and poverty call for a united and inclusive effort from the global community. Development cooperation stakeholders—from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to communities and citizens acting locally in every corner of the globe—hold pivotal roles in promoting fair and sustainable transitions. By emphasizing strategies that yield multiple benefits and diligently monitoring and addressing trade-offs, we can strive toward a future that is prosperous, equitable, and resilient.
  • Publication
    Global Economic Prospects, January 2025
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-01-16) World Bank
    Global growth is expected to hold steady at 2.7 percent in 2025-26. However, the global economy appears to be settling at a low growth rate that will be insufficient to foster sustained economic development—with the possibility of further headwinds from heightened policy uncertainty and adverse trade policy shifts, geopolitical tensions, persistent inflation, and climate-related natural disasters. Against this backdrop, emerging market and developing economies are set to enter the second quarter of the twenty-first century with per capita incomes on a trajectory that implies substantially slower catch-up toward advanced-economy living standards than they previously experienced. Without course corrections, most low-income countries are unlikely to graduate to middle-income status by the middle of the century. Policy action at both global and national levels is needed to foster a more favorable external environment, enhance macroeconomic stability, reduce structural constraints, address the effects of climate change, and thus accelerate long-term growth and development.
  • Publication
    Supporting Youth at Risk
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008) Cohan, Lorena M.; Cunningham, Wendy; Naudeau, Sophie; McGinnis, Linda
    The World Bank has produced this policy Toolkit in response to a growing demand from our government clients and partners for advice on how to create and implement effective policies for at-risk youth. The author has highlighted 22 policies (six core policies, nine promising policies, and seven general policies) that have been effective in addressing the following five key risk areas for young people around the world: (i) youth unemployment, underemployment, and lack of formal sector employment; (ii) early school leaving; (iii) risky sexual behavior leading to early childbearing and HIV/AIDS; (iv) crime and violence; and (v) substance abuse. The objective of this Toolkit is to serve as a practical guide for policy makers in middle-income countries as well as professionals working within the area of youth development on how to develop and implement an effective policy portfolio to foster healthy and positive youth development.
  • Publication
    Commodity Markets Outlook, October 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-29) World Bank
    Commodity prices are expected to decrease by 5 percent in 2025 and 2 percent in 2026. The projected declines are led by oil prices but tempered by price increases for natural gas and a stable outlook for metals and agricultural raw materials. The possibility of escalating conflict in the Middle East represents a substantial near-term upside risk to energy prices, with potential knock-on consequences for other commodities. However, over the forecast horizon, longer-term dynamics—including decelerating global oil demand, diversifying oil production, and ample oil supply capacity—suggest sizable downside risks to oil prices, especially if OPEC+ unwinds its latest production cuts. There are also dual risks to industrial commodity demand stemming from economic activity. On the one hand, concerted stimulus in China and above-trend growth in the United States could push commodity prices higher. On the other, weaker-than-anticipated global industrial activity could dampen them. Following several overlapping global shocks in the early 2020s, which drove parallel swings in commodity prices, commodity markets appear to be departing from a period of tight synchronization. A Special Focus analyzes commodity price synchronization over time and considers the relative importance across commodity cycles of a wide range of demand and supply shocks, including global demand shocks and shocks specific to different commodity markets. It concludes that, while supply shocks were the dominant commodity price driver in the early 2000s and around the global financial crisis, post-pandemic price movements have been more substantially shaped by commodity-specific shocks, such as those related to conflicts.