Making Self-Reliance Meaningful: Initial Considerations for the UN Refugee Agency’s 50 by 35 Vision
What does meaningful self-reliance look like under 50 by 35, and how will we know when we've achieved it?
UNHCR’s 50 by 35 vision sets an ambitious goal: to halve, by 2035, the number of people in protracted displacement who are unable to meet their basic needs without external humanitarian assistance.
As this agenda gains momentum, important questions are emerging about how to understand and measure progress toward that goal, and what it will take to ensure that reductions in humanitarian dependence translate into sustainable, dignified self-reliance.
In our new RSRI Perspectives briefing note, “Making Self-Reliance Meaningful: Initial Considerations for UNHCR’s 50 by 35 Vision,” the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative shares some initial perspectives informed by our role as the global network convenor on refugee self-reliance and by questions emerging across the RSRI Community of Practice (CoP).
The note explores why poverty reduction, reduced reliance on humanitarian assistance, and sustainable self-reliance are related but distinct outcomes, and why a poverty-based benchmark can be strengthened by complementary evidence, attention to enabling conditions, and meaningful refugee participation.
The RSRI welcomes the opportunity that 50 by 35 presents to strengthen attention to protracted displacement, sustainable solutions, and self-reliance. We hope these initial considerations contribute to continued dialogue and learning as the vision moves from ambition to implementation.
The reflections and perspectives in this briefing note represent the views of the RSRI team and are informed by discussions and input from across the broader RSRI network.
The Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative is a strategic initiative of RefugePoint.
