Following the fall of the Assad government in December 2024, many refugees in Jordan have expressed hope, and caution, about the prospect of returning to Syria. While UNHCR is not promoting large-scale returns to Syria, UNHCR stands ready to support Syrian refugees who, being fully informed of the situation in their places of origin or an alternative area of their choice, choose voluntarily to return. In response to requests from refugees, UNHCR provides financial and transportation assistance to voluntary returns to ensure they are dignified and sustainable. (March 2026)

RLO Voices: Leadership on the Ground - A global survey for refugee leaders and organisations. ICVA, Bondeko Refugee Livelihoods Center and Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT), are exploring ways to strengthen the long-term sustainability and impact of refugee-led organizations (RLOs) through increased knowledge of their essential work. To learn more about the operations of diverse RLOs, and how RLOs continue to provide for others despite challenging conditions, we have designed a survey focused on RLO Voices: Leadership on the Ground. We invite you to take part in this data collection exercise by completing the survey here 9https://ee-eu.kobotoolbox.org/x/XFkf80Ne) and also sharing it across your networks for other colleagues to share their experiences. This data will form a basis for further informed advocacy. It will help bring greater visibility to the contributions, priorities and realities of RLOs, and contribute to ongoing efforts to strengthen how they are understood and meaningfully engaged within the humanitarian system.

4th JDC Research Conference: Call for Papers: The World Bank – UNHCR Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement (JDC) is pleased to announce its 4th Research Conference on Forced Displacement, scheduled to take place on June 4 – 6, 2026. The event is organized by the World Bank – UNHCR Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement (JDC) in collaboration with the Faculty of Economics of Chulalongkorn University, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the World Bank and will be held in Bangkok (Thailand). The Call for Papers welcomes completed articles or extended abstracts in English by January 5, 2026. Submissions will be selected by a scientific committee. Further information can be found on the conference website: https://shorturl.at/yV06f. For any questions please email conference@jointdatacenter.org.

At the Second Africa Skills Week in Addis Ababa, UNHCR actively contributed to shaping the Continental TVET Implementation Plan of the African Continental TVET Strategy 2025–2034, themed “Sustainable Development, Social Justice and Employability for All.” For the first time, refugees and other displaced persons are explicitly recognized within Africa’s continental TVET framework. Building on this milestone, UNHCR provided detailed technical inputs to the draft Implementation Plan, ensuring that the inclusion of refugees is reflected across all components, from policy and financing to monitoring and evaluation.

Ethiopia Launches Its New National TVT Strategy — A Major Step Toward a Skilled and Future-Ready Workforce: Through the GIZ Ethiopia & Djibouti Ethio–German Sustainable Training and Education Programme (STEP VI) and Qualification and Employment Prospects for Refugees, IDPs, and Host Communities in Ethiopia (QEP II)projects, funded by Germany and the EU, GIZ will continue supporting MoLS in rolling out the national TVT Strategy, strengthening TVT–industry linkages, modernizing curricula and training systems, as well as scaling innovation and technology-driven training. Ethiopia’s new TVT Strategy marks a transformative moment—positioning Technical and Vocational Training as a first-choice pathway for meaningful, practical, and future-oriented careers. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/5n8jpfae

ICVA - A Global Survey for Refugee Leaders and Organisations: Dear Colleague, ICVA, in partnership with Bondeko Refugee Livelihoods Center and Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT), is exploring ways to strengthen the long-term sustainability and impact of refugee-led organizations (RLOs) through increased knowledge of their essential work. To learn more about the operations of diverse RLOs, and how RLOs continue to provide for others despite challenging conditions, we have designed a survey focused on RLO Voices: Leadership on the Ground. We invite you to take part in this data collection exercise by completing the survey and also sharing it across your networks for others to share their experiences: https://ee-eu.kobotoolbox.org/x/XFkf80Ne

Call for Papers: 4ᵗʰ Research Conference on Forced Displacement: The World Bank – UNHCR Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement (JDC) is pleased to announce its 4ᵗʰ Research Conference on Forced Displacement, organized in collaboration with the Faculty of Economics of Chulalongkorn University, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the World Bank. To be considered for inclusion in the program, completed papers or extended abstracts should be submitted to conference@jointdatacenter.org by January 5, 2026. Papers and extended abstracts should be submitted in English. The papers for the final program will be selected by a scientific committee. Further information can be found on the conference website: https://www.jointdatacenter.org/news-and-events/4th-research-conference-on-forced-displacement/

Call for applications to the Refugee-Led Innovation Fund opens! The Refugee-led Innovation Fund is currently open to applications from organizations led by forcibly displaced or stateless people in all countries. Applications close 22 August 2025 at 23:59 Panama time. Read more here: https://www.unhcr.org/innovation/refugee-led-innovation-fund/

PSEA Outreach Fund - Call for Applications: ICVA and UNHCR are pleased to announce the launch of the 2025 round of the Interagency Community Outreach and Communication Fund on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA Outreach Fund). The detailed English Call for Applications and application form are available here: https://www.icvanetwork.org/resource/pseafund2025call/. Deadline for English applications: 11 July 2025, 17.00 CET

This World Refugee Day, solidarity is the only solution: Next month will mark the 74th anniversary of the adoption of the 1951 Refugee Convention, a monumental act of international solidarity initiated by 145 States, which established the rights of refugees and the responsibility of countries to protect them. World Refugee Day is the annual commemoration of this fundamental moment, an occasion for people around the world to honour refugees, to celebrate their strength and to recognize the remarkable contributions they make to the communities that welcome them, when their rights are upheld, and their voices are heard. We have seen over the decades that the responsibilities set out in the Refugee Convention cannot be met by any one actor alone. The only way we can ensure the rights of forcibly displaced people and build the sort of world we all want to live in is through whole-of-society responses. This is a core principle of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). This World Refugee Day, we encourage all of you to recommit to your extraordinary displays of solidarity, to continue implementing your pledges and sharing stories of your progress.