EHAGL Regional Knowledge Exchange Social Protection & Forced Displacement

Working Group Description
The social protection and forced displacement knowledge exchange is a forum for organisations working on this topic to come together to learn from each other and external stakeholders, to exchange information and best practices and explore opportunities for joint activities. Membership is open to regional NGOs/CSOs, UN agencies, IFIs, Bilateral Donors and Research Institutes across the humanitarian-development nexus in Eastern, Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes. The Exchange aims to stimulate discussion, research, and sharing of best practices related to the inclusion of forcibly displaced populations and vulnerable or marginalized host communities into emerging national social protection systems and programmes.
The Topic
Africa’s East, Horn and Great Lakes Region is experiencing increased frequency, severity and duration of crises creating a context of substantial and growing needs, with new conflicts swelling displaced and refugee caseloads. This is combined with the increasingly protracted nature of displacement , growing climatic shocks and inadequate humanitarian resources to meet the needs that these scenarios are generating.
However, despite these challenges progress can be seen in the establishment, strengthening and reach of social protection policies, systems and programmes across the region alongside increased investment in these systems. This is primarily development partner resources, but some countries are seeing a growth in government investment also. COVID-19 has accelerated efforts to scale up social protection systems.
There is wide acceptance of the role that social protection can play in reducing poverty and addressing lifecycle risks and vulnerabilities. Pilots are developing into government social safety net programmes, delivery systems are improving and there is an increased focus on developing the shock-responsive capacities of these systems. Coverage is growing despite challenges around fragmentation, capacity, coordination and resourcing. This links to the increasing use of cash transfers as a humanitarian response modality and robust evidence of the efficacy of social protection and social transfers in both development and crisis contexts.
Humanitarian assistance has been performing the same role as social assistance for many years. In contexts of increasingly protracted displacement and lack of durable solutions for most refugees, inclusion in social protection systems, backed by international development investments, can contribute to more predictable alternatives to humanitarian assistance. UNHCR is working with governments and international actors to implement an area-based approach promoting access to social protection programmes for displaced and host populations.
An increased focus on developing inclusive systems provides opportunities for broadening discussions on how Persons of Concern (PoC) can benefit from social protection to provide more effective, efficient and sustainable solutions to affected populations. This requires re-examining ways of responding to the basic and protection needs of forcibly displaced communities and exploring the role that government social protection systems can play in meeting the needs of PoC, accelerating the agenda of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), promoting area-based solutions, efficiencies, inclusion and sustainability.
Working Group Documents
UNHCR guidelines on localization
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The UNHCR Guidelines on localization provide a common framework and structured approach to help UNHCR implement its commitments to localization, rooted in the principle of “as local as possible, as in...
Date de publication: 7 October 2025 (14 days ago)
Créé: 7 October 2025 (14 days ago)
Presentation - Exploring the Socio-Economic Impacts of Congolese Refugees in Rwanda - October 2025
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- 265.78 KB
- Download Count: 88
Craig Loschmann, Senior Economist - UNHCR HQ, explores the Socio-Economic Impacts of Congolese Refugees in Rwanda
Date de publication: 2 October 2025 (19 days ago)
Créé: 2 October 2025 (19 days ago)
Presentation - What is the evidence saying on impact of refugees on host economies? - October 2025
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- 910.51 KB
- Download Count: 87
Masud Rahman, Statistics and Data Analysis Officer, UNHCR Regional Bureau for Eastern and Southern Africa, presents evidence on impact of refugees on host economies.
Date de publication: 2 October 2025 (19 days ago)
Créé: 2 October 2025 (19 days ago)
Presentation - Jobs and Employment for Forcibly Displaced Communities in the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region - October 2025
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- 466.43 KB
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Anna Gaunt, Senior Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Officer, UNHCR Regional Bureau for Eastern and Southern Africa & Jedediah Fix, Organizational Analyst, UNHCR HQ present on recent findings Jobs an...
Date de publication: 2 October 2025 (19 days ago)
Créé: 2 October 2025 (19 days ago)
UNHCR and Mastercard Foundation - Jobs and Employment for Forcibly Displaced Communities in the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes Regi...
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- 2.32 MB
- Download Count: 254
In a region where forced displacement keeps increasing and at the same time protracted and complex, the ability of refugees to access employment as early as possible is critical. Employment is more th...
Date de publication: 1 October 2025 (20 days ago)
Créé: 1 October 2025 (19 days ago)
Sudan Regional Refugee Response - May to December 2023 (Revised August 2023)
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- 8.67 MB
- Download Count: 1,282
The 2023 Sudan Emergency Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) was launched in May 2023, revised in June 2023, and again in August 2023 reflecting the dramatic and ongoing increases in external displac...
Date de publication: 4 September 2023 (2 years ago)
Créé: 4 September 2023 (2 years ago)
Social protection responses to COVID-19 for forcibly displaced persons
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- 1.63 MB
- Download Count: 773
Refugees and other Persons of Concern (PoC)1 to UNHCR have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to serious health, socio-economic and protection impacts. Some governme...
Date de publication: 30 November 2020 (4 years ago)
Créé: 24 February 2022 (3 years ago)
Brief - DREEM Project Overview
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- 613.77 KB
- Download Count: 1,016
DREEM is an exciting partnership between WUSC and the Mastercard Foundation where WUSC plays a unique role as a technical assistance and strategic learning partner to the Mastercard Foundation and its...
Date de publication: 3 October 2024 (1 year ago)
Créé: 3 October 2024 (1 year ago)
UNHCR Sudan - Solutions and Livelihoods Factsheet - November 2023
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- 1.98 MB
- Download Count: 794
UNHCR Sudan - Solutions and Livelihoods Factsheet - November 2023
Date de publication: 1 November 2023 (1 year ago)
Créé: 6 November 2023 (1 year ago)
UNHCR guidelines on localization
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- 1.90 MB
- Download Count: 180
The UNHCR Guidelines on localization provide a common framework and structured approach to help UNHCR implement its commitments to localization, rooted in the principle of “as local as possible, as in...
Date de publication: 7 October 2025 (14 days ago)
Créé: 7 October 2025 (14 days ago)
UNHCR - Digital Literacy for Refugee Economic Inclusion: A Practical Guidance Note
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- 12.34 MB
- Download Count: 325
Digital Literacy interventions – a guide for organizations working in forced displacement contexts. This tool supports programs aiming to equip refugees with digital literacy skills, an essential step...
Date de publication: 30 June 2025 (3 months ago)
Créé: 3 July 2025 (3 months ago)
UNECA - Draft Kampala declaration on sustainable, inclusive, science-based and evidence-based solutions for driving job creation and economi...
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- 261.47 KB
- Download Count: 376
Draft Kampala declaration on sustainable, inclusive, science-based and evidence-based solutions for driving job creation and economic growth and for implementing the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.
Date de publication: 11 April 2025 (6 months ago)
Créé: 25 April 2025 (5 months ago)
CALP - Minimum Standard for Market Analysis - May 2024
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- 2.17 MB
- Download Count: 703
With growing recognition of the importance of market analysis in the humanitarian sector, a plethora of tools and guidance has been developed to support such exercises. While this has provided an oppo...
Date de publication: 4 May 2024 (1 year ago)
Créé: 30 May 2024 (1 year ago)
UNHCR - Cash and Shelter: Access to sustainable housing through cash assistance – key considerations and learning
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- 576.12 KB
- Download Count: 1,017
This recently published guidance document focuses on the use of cash assistance to enhance shelter solutions. It emphasizes the importance of unrestricted cash for sustainable housing, covering aspect...
Date de publication: 30 April 2024 (1 year ago)
Créé: 30 May 2024 (1 year ago)
Presentation - Exploring the Socio-Economic Impacts of Congolese Refugees in Rwanda - October 2025
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- 265.78 KB
- Download Count: 88
Craig Loschmann, Senior Economist - UNHCR HQ, explores the Socio-Economic Impacts of Congolese Refugees in Rwanda
Date de publication: 2 October 2025 (19 days ago)
Créé: 2 October 2025 (19 days ago)
Presentation - What is the evidence saying on impact of refugees on host economies? - October 2025
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- 910.51 KB
- Download Count: 87
Masud Rahman, Statistics and Data Analysis Officer, UNHCR Regional Bureau for Eastern and Southern Africa, presents evidence on impact of refugees on host economies.
Date de publication: 2 October 2025 (19 days ago)
Créé: 2 October 2025 (19 days ago)
Presentation - Jobs and Employment for Forcibly Displaced Communities in the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region - October 2025
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- 466.43 KB
- Download Count: 72
Anna Gaunt, Senior Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Officer, UNHCR Regional Bureau for Eastern and Southern Africa & Jedediah Fix, Organizational Analyst, UNHCR HQ present on recent findings Jobs an...
Date de publication: 2 October 2025 (19 days ago)
Créé: 2 October 2025 (19 days ago)
Presentation - Women-Led Refugee Organizations (W-RLOs) in Uganda - September 2025
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- 2.17 MB
- Download Count: 140
Vanessa Ishimwe, founder CEO of Fuse Women Initiative and member of the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) for the Mastercard foundation and WUSC, presents on a recent study on the challenges and opportun...
Date de publication: 11 September 2025 (1 month ago)
Créé: 11 September 2025 (1 month ago)
Presentation - Kalobeyei Initiatives for Better Lives (KI4BLI) Livelihood and graduation model - September 2025
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- 1.42 MB
- Download Count: 142
Samuel Binja, a former member of the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) for the Mastercard foundation and WUSCmember and co-founder of the Kalobeyei Initiatives for Better Lives (KI4BLI) Livelihood speaks...
Date de publication: 11 September 2025 (1 month ago)
Créé: 11 September 2025 (1 month ago)
OECD Policy Brief - Cuts in official development assistance OECD projections for 2025 and the near term
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- 854.35 KB
- Download Count: 2,621
The OECD projects a 9–17% drop in net official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, following a 9% decline in 2024. The projected decline is driven by announced cuts from major providers, and it woul...
Date de publication: 26 June 2025 (3 months ago)
Créé: 2 July 2025 (3 months ago)
IGAD Policy Framework on Refugee Protection
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- 3.52 MB
- Download Count: 1,038
This Policy Framework on Refugee Protection is a consolidation of the key findings and recommendations that reflect the IGAD Member States’ commitment to providing a safe haven for refugees, ensuring ...
Date de publication: 31 January 2024 (1 year ago)
Créé: 5 March 2024 (1 year ago)
UNHCR Policy on Cash-based Interventions - 2022-2026
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- 5.63 MB
- Download Count: 1,545
Building on the Policy on Cash-Based Interventions (CBI) 2016-20211, this Policy sets the overall direction for UNHCR’s use of CBI from 2022 to 2026 inclusive, with the aim of scaling up and strengthe...
Date de publication: 5 September 2022 (3 years ago)
Créé: 6 September 2022 (3 years ago)
DRC - Learning Brief: Leveraging the Self-Reliance Index for Livelihoods Impact Assessment
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- 2.83 MB
- Download Count: 252
The Self-Reliance Index (SRI) was successfully applied to assess household progress under the Pathways to Prosperity (P2P) and ABLI-G II projects in Kakuma and Dadaab, Kenya. With support from DANIDA,...
Date de publication: 28 July 2025 (2 months ago)
Créé: 31 July 2025 (2 months ago)
INCLUSION OF REFUGEES IN GOVERNMENT SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS IN AFRICA
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- 34.76 KB
- Download Count: 841
INCLUSION OF REFUGEES IN GOVERNMENT SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS IN AFRICA
Date de publication: 31 January 2022 (3 years ago)
Créé: 8 February 2022 (3 years ago)
Emerging Lessons from World Bank Group Social Protection Investments in Refugee-Hosting Areas
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- 1.27 MB
- Download Count: 771
Emerging Lessons from World Bank Group Social Protection Investments in Refugee-Hosting Areas
Date de publication: 31 January 2022 (3 years ago)
Créé: 8 February 2022 (3 years ago)
UNHCR Mapping of Social Safety Nets for Refugees
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- 703.35 KB
- Download Count: 726
The aim of the mapping of social safety nets (SSN) was to explore the potential for alignment between humanitarian cash assistance and SSN in forced displacement situations. It considered various as...
Date de publication: 31 December 2021 (3 years ago)
Créé: 24 February 2022 (3 years ago)
ALIGNING HUMANITARIAN CASH ASSISTANCE WITH NATIONAL SOCIAL SAFETY NETS IN REFUGEE SETTINGS
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- 1.67 MB
- Download Count: 773
The purpose of this document is to share learning and considerations on how operations have or could progressively align humanitarian cash assistance for refugees to national social safety nets (SSN)...
Date de publication: 31 December 2021 (3 years ago)
Créé: 24 February 2022 (3 years ago)
Mapping of the National Social Protection System in Ethiopia, including Social Health Protection
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- 1.08 MB
- Download Count: 2,507
The mapping of the national social protection system in Ethiopia, including social health insurance, is carried out as part of a joint technical study by the International Labour Organization (ILO) a...
Date de publication: 31 December 2021 (3 years ago)
Créé: 24 February 2022 (3 years ago)
UNHCR and Mastercard Foundation - Jobs and Employment for Forcibly Displaced Communities in the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes Regi...
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- 2.32 MB
- Download Count: 254
In a region where forced displacement keeps increasing and at the same time protracted and complex, the ability of refugees to access employment as early as possible is critical. Employment is more th...
Date de publication: 1 October 2025 (20 days ago)
Créé: 1 October 2025 (19 days ago)
ILO Brief - Embracing innovation and inclusion: Strengthening Kenya’s beauty sector for host communities and urban refugees
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- 376.65 KB
- Download Count: 98
The report’s findings, outlined in this brief, shed light on the profiles of urban refugees, the sectors where they work or have potential to find decent livelihood opportunities, the key constraints ...
Date de publication: 3 September 2025 (1 month ago)
Créé: 11 September 2025 (1 month ago)
Pathways to Employment - Rwanda Report - August 2025
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- 2.16 MB
- Download Count: 87
Across Africa, millions of refugees and displaced people, many of them young and ready to contribute, face significant barriers to employment. Although national policies often allow refugees to work, ...
Date de publication: 31 August 2025 (1 month ago)
Créé: 15 September 2025 (1 month ago)
Pathways to Employment - Uganda Report - August 2025
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- 4.56 MB
- Download Count: 84
Across Africa, millions of refugees and displaced people, many of them young and ready to contribute, face significant barriers to employment. Although national policies often allow refugees to work, ...
Date de publication: 31 August 2025 (1 month ago)
Créé: 15 September 2025 (1 month ago)
Pathways to Employment - Ethiopia Report - August 2025
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- 3.76 MB
- Download Count: 92
Across Africa, millions of refugees and displaced people, many of them young and ready to contribute, face significant barriers to employment. Although national policies often allow refugees to work, ...
Date de publication: 31 August 2025 (1 month ago)
Créé: 15 September 2025 (1 month ago)
USCRI Policy Report - On the front lines: The Uganda Refugee Response and Refugee-Led Organizations- July 2025
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- 4.67 MB
- Download Count: 237
This report examines the state of the Uganda refugee response and the role of refugee-led organizations (RLOs) in it. It posits that RLOs in Uganda and, indeed, the entire refugee response in Uganda a...
Date de publication: 25 July 2025 (2 months ago)
Créé: 31 July 2025 (2 months ago)
OECD Policy Brief - Cuts in official development assistance OECD projections for 2025 and the near term
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Détails
- 854.35 KB
- Download Count: 2,621
The OECD projects a 9–17% drop in net official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, following a 9% decline in 2024. The projected decline is driven by announced cuts from major providers, and it woul...
Date de publication: 26 June 2025 (3 months ago)
Créé: 2 July 2025 (3 months ago)
CGD Working Paper - Cash and Small Business Groups for Ugandans and Refugees
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- 1.32 MB
- Download Count: 309
Constraints that inhibit small business growth are potentially amplified for groups with limited access to existing business networks like refugees and women. Programs that facilitate intergroup conta...
Date de publication: 20 June 2025 (4 months ago)
Créé: 2 July 2025 (3 months ago)
CGD Policy Paper - Urban Refugee Policies and Legislation in Kenya and Uganda: 2025 Stocktake
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- 476.04 KB
- Download Count: 2,139
Policy for urban refugees in Kenya and Uganda is rarely at the forefront of national discussions, leaving important gaps that could potentially be addressed with engagement from civil society. Based o...
Date de publication: 20 June 2025 (4 months ago)
Créé: 2 July 2025 (3 months ago)
Can Social Protection Programmes Promote Livelihoods and Climate Resilience in Conflict‑Affected Settings? Evidence from Ethiopia’s Product...
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- 846.07 KB
- Download Count: 759
The paper discusses the growing interest in using social protection to address climate-related vulnerabilities and strengthen resilience, particularly in conflict-affected settings. It examines the Pr...
Date de publication: 6 May 2025 (5 months ago)
Créé: 7 May 2025 (5 months ago)
UNHCR - Sudan Crisis: Socioeconomic Profile Overview - January 2025
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- 788.64 KB
- Download Count: 917
The sociodemographic and economic characteristics of registered Sudanese refugees vary by location and time. UNHCR proGres registration records for over 1.8 million registered refugees across the seve...
Date de publication: 31 January 2025 (8 months ago)
Créé: 4 February 2025 (8 months ago)
UNHCR - Burundi Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Strategy for Refugees 2025-2027
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- 655.90 KB
- Download Count: 467
UNHCR Burundi Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Strategy for Refugees 2025-2027
Date de publication: 17 July 2025 (3 months ago)
Créé: 21 July 2025 (3 months ago)
African Continental TVET Strategy 2025-34 for Sustainable Development, Social Justice and Employability
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- 19.55 MB
- Download Count: 67
The African Continental TVET Strategy (CTVET) 2025-34 for Sustainable Development, Social Justice and Employability for All represents a transformative blueprint designed to harness the immense potent...
Date de publication: 17 July 2025 (3 months ago)
Créé: 1 October 2025 (20 days ago)
Nairobi County Refugee Integration and Community Building Strategy
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- 15.05 MB
- Download Count: 461
The Nairobi County Refugee Integration and Community Building Strategy (NCRIS) outlines Nairobi County’s commitment to providing refugees with a secure environment, access to essential services, and i...
Date de publication: 29 April 2025 (5 months ago)
Créé: 13 May 2025 (5 months ago)
ILO-UNHCR Joint Action Plan 2023-2025
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- 593.93 KB
- Download Count: 672
The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have complementary mandates and expertise in supporting forcibly displaced people’s access to ...
Date de publication: 2 April 2025 (6 months ago)
Créé: 16 April 2025 (6 months ago)
Ethiopia - Country Refugee Response Plan 2024
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- 18.92 MB
- Download Count: 1,257
Under the co-leadership of the Government of Ethiopia’s Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) and UNHCR, the Ethiopia Country Refugee Response Plan (CRRP) for 2024 is the interagency refugee response i...
Date de publication: 30 April 2024 (1 year ago)
Créé: 22 May 2024 (1 year ago)
Working Group Key Contacts
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Clare Gardner
UNHCR Regional Bureau for East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes, Nairobi, Kenya Senior Social Protection Officer -
Shana Hoehler
ILO Technical Officer – Social Health Protection for Refugees and Host Communities
Links
Social assistance in crises roundtable: knowledge gaps and policy challenges | |
BASIC (Better Assistance in Crises) Research is a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) funded programme examining why, how and when to use social protection approaches in different crisis contexts, to deliver more effective social assistance so that vulnerable people cope better with crises and meet their basic needs. This online roundtable discussion will be a dialogue with other researchers and practitioners on the ground. | |
Fragility Forum: Emerging Research on Social Protection in Contexts of Fragility and Displacement | |
Fragility Forum, a podcast summarising UNHCR studies and the ongoing WB-DFID Trust Fund and OECD studies on inclusion of refugees in SP systems and a roundtable with representatives from Mauritania, Republic of Congo and Yemen. | |
Guidance Package - SPaN resources | |
The European Commission (EC) created the Guidance Package (GP) on Social Protection across the Humanitarian-Development Nexus (SPaN) to provide concrete and practical guidance to social protection as an effective short- and long-term response to multivariate shocks, protracted crises and displacement based on the current body of knowledge, including brief definitions, and processes of social protection approaches in most challenging settings. The variety of contexts covered by the GP also includes countries where social protection systems are nationally led and those without any structures in place. |