+ What is self-reliance?

The RSRI defines self-reliance as, "the social and economic ability of an individual, a household, or a community to meet its needs in a sustainable manner."

+ Why does the RSRI use the term "self-reliance"?

The RSRI recognizes that the term “self-reliance” carries many connotations – some positive, some negative. The Initiative therefore uses the term advisedly, for lack of a succinct, well-understood alternative. Several objections have been raised to the term, which are addressed below:

• Is anyone self-reliant? By self-reliance, we do not mean that refugees are wholly alone or independent of the systems around them. As with all individuals, self-reliant refugees are still part of a web of inter-dependent family, social, and institutional dynamics.
• Isn’t self-reliance a low goal for refugees? The RSRI views self-reliance as an important milestone towards higher aspirations for refugees, such as thriving in the home and at work, securing the future of their families, and self-fulfillment.
• Not everyone is capable of becoming self-reliant. The RSRI recognizes that in any society not everyone can or wants to become self-reliant, nor is it always in their best interest to do so. The RSRI focuses on those who desire self-reliance, which are generally the vast majority.
• Is there a danger that self-reliance could be used as a justification for withholding aid? The RSRI recognizes the concern that self-reliance is an agenda pursued by governments and aid agencies wishing to conserve their resources. The RSRI does not support such an agenda. However, in the current reality where need far outstrips resources, it is critical to ensure those limited resources get channeled to those most in need.
• Could self-reliance be used to deter refugees from seeking asylum in western countries? The RSRI does not support self-reliance being used as a political tool or tactic to deter refugees from onward migration. While self-reliance might make it easier for some to stay in their countries of first asylum, it is unlikely to deter those who seek onward migration to another country, or indeed return to their own country. The RSRI believes that everyone has the right to enjoy a fulfilling, dignified life wherever they choose to reside.

+ How does the RSRI relate to the Global Compact on Refugees?

One of the four key objectives of The Global Compact on Refugees is to enhance refugee self-reliance. The RSRI is closely aligned to the goals of the Compact and is committed to operationalizing its vision by expanding effective programming that facilitates self-reliance, developing the evidence base to support such programming through measuring refugees’ progress, and advocating for funding streams and hosting environments that enable self-reliance. The RSRI welcomes the Compact’s recognition of the legitimacy of pursuing self-reliance outcomes for refugees in host countries even in the absence of formal local integration pathways.

+ Could self-reliance be an excuse to withdraw aid from refugees prematurely?

The RSRI seeks to promote opportunities for self-reliance for those refugees who desire self-reliance and have the capacity to achieve it. The Initiative recognizes that while most refugees require humanitarian aid for some period of time (and some might require it indefinitely), many are ready to transition off of aid much sooner than current practice allows. Doing so makes it possible to evolve traditional service delivery and “care and maintenance” models to move towards leveraging refugees’ capacities. The RSRI seeks to promote an environment in which refugees do not have to wait years for elusive “durable solutions” before they can support themselves and their families and contribute to the social and economic fabric of their host countries while also preparing for a better future.

The RSRI does not support or lend legitimacy to efforts to withdraw aid prematurely, nor does it intend to imply that the burden of self-reliance is entirely on refugees, irrespective of the contexts in which they find themselves. The RSRI recognizes that refugees are often subject to systemic inequality, rights deprivation, violence, harassment, and lack of economic opportunity. Taking into account the many factors working against refugee self-reliance, the RSRI deliberately emphasizes that it promotes “opportunities” for refugee self-reliance because the environment must be at least minimally conducive. (See also "How does self-reliance relate to refugee rights?" below for further discussion of refugee rights).

+ How does self-reliance relate to host communities?

Self-reliance programming for refugees will be of limited success if they are resented by the host community and perceived as receiving preferential treatment. Alongside refugee self-reliance programs, investments are also necessary to support host communities in order to benefit from the social and economic engagement of refugees, as well as to enhance the host country’s overall peace, security, and prosperity. Nascent research demonstrates that when refugees become self-reliant, there can be an expansion of economic development in hosting communities resulting in more opportunities for everyone. The RSRI is committed to promoting an environment in which both refugees and host communities can thrive.

+ How does self-reliance relate to refugee rights?

The RSRI promotes opportunities for refugees around the world to become self-reliant and achieve a better quality of life while simultaneously advocating for the full enjoyment of their rights. The concept of refugee self-reliance is built on the core foundation of international refugee law, the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. In addition to codifying the fundamental right to seek asylum, the Refugee Convention calls for favorable treatment of refugees across numerous parameters, including access to basic services and ability to pursue gainful wage- and self-employment. In addition, Article 23 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirmed the rights for all to work, as well as just and favorable remuneration and work conditions.

It is important to recognize that many of the barriers to self-reliance for refugees are tied to their inability to fully exercise the rights that they should enjoy under international law. This often includes a lack of: the right to work, own land or a business; freedom of movement; access to justice mechanisms; access to banking and financial services, etc.

Therefore, the RSRI considers advocating for refugee rights a crucial part of its efforts to advance self-reliance for refugees, but it also believes that there is often room to improve the quality of refugees’ lives while working towards improvements in the policy environments.

+ How does self-reliance relate to resilience?

Self-reliance and resilience are distinct, but closely related concepts. Self-reliance refers to the ability of individuals, households or communities to meet their essential needs and enjoy their human rights in a sustainable manner and to live with dignity. Resilience refers to the ability of individuals, households, communities, national institutions and systems to prevent, absorb and recover from shocks, while continuing to function and adapt in a way that supports long-term prospects for sustainable development, peace and security, and the attainment of human rights.

Therefore, strengthening resilience, that is, the ability to cope with and recover from shocks, is a critical component for achieving self-reliance for refugee families.

For more information see: UNHCR, Resilience and self-reliance from a protection and solutions perspective, March 2017.

+ How does self-reliance relate to livelihoods programming?

Helping refugees pursue income-generating activities through livelihoods programming is central to any self-reliance strategy. However, livelihoods programs often focus exclusively on economic indicators (e.g. increased income, savings and assets) and not on the broader social context that both enables the pursuit of livelihoods (such as housing, health, childcare, safety, social capital, etc.) and is improved by the income secured through livelihoods. The RSRI believes that self-reliance programming should take a more holistic view, incorporating interventions that support the economic stability, social integration, health and well-being of refugees and measuring outcomes across these interdependent domains.

As part of the RSRI's Learning Agenda, the Initiative is interested in comparing the outcomes of a livelihoods-focused approach with those of more holistic programming that address multiple barriers to income generation.

There are many different ways to achieve the goal of facilitating self-reliance for refugees, and the RSRI aims to identify a variety of service models that are effective and promote their expansion.

+ How does the RSRI relate to the graduation approach?

The RSRI seeks to identify, learn from, and expand all effective program approaches designed to help refugees achieve self-reliance. The graduation approach is an example of such a program model. The approach was originally designed as an intervention to provide non-displaced households living in extreme poverty with a pathway to sustained livelihoods. Since 2013, the approach has been adapted in several pilot locations to target refugee and IDP populations with the goal of reducing extreme poverty and strengthening self-reliance.

The RSRI includes several members engaged in testing and expanding the use of the graduation approach with refugees. The Initiaitve is interested in the learning emerging from the graduation pilots and also other program designs that help facilitate self-reliance.

For more information, see:

Trickle Up, Graduation in an Urban Refugee Context: A Technical Guide, July 2017

CGAP, Trickle Up and UNHCR, Economic Inclusion of the Poorest Refugees

+ What does the Self-Reliance Index Measure?

The Self-Reliance Index (SRI) is designed to measure the progress of refugee households toward the achievement of self-reliance and may also be helpful in screening for eligibility for various services and interventions (targeting). The Index looks holistically at refugee clients, at a household level, accounting for their vulnerabilities and also their strengths and assets.

The SRI measures progress towards self-reliance across the following domains: housing, food, education, health care, health status, employment, financial resources, assistance, savings, debt, safety and social capital.

The SRI measures the collective impact of all inputs into a refugee household instead of that of just a single intervention. As such, it fosters necessary program referrals and inter-agency collaboration.

+ Does the Self-Reliance Index take a gendered lens when measuring self-reliance?

The Self-Reliance Index captures basic demographic information including gender. Data analyzed through the Index will be disaggregated by gender and will be used to understand self-reliance outcomes from a gendered perspective.

The Index also encourages responses from all family members and not just the “head of household” in order to understand the varying experiences of different household members. While a “chief respondent” must be named on the Index, the User Guide indicates that this may be any responsible adult in the family and not necessarily a male or the person named “head of household” for UNHCR or other purposes.

The Index also endeavors to capture issues that might disproportionately affect females and their ability to fulfill their aspirations, such as safety concerns/harassment, children’s school attendance, presence of a person needing caretaking, etc.

+ How is the Self-Reliance Index different from a vulnerability assessment?

The Self-Reliance Index is designed to target refugee clients eligible for services at the front end (similar to traditional vulnerability assessments) and also measure the progress of clients toward the achievement of self-reliance at the back end. The Index looks holistically at refugee clients from a household level, accounting for their vulnerabilities and also their strengths and assets. Often, vulnerability assessments are one-off assessments to determine eligibility for a good or service. The Self-Reliance Index is intended to be re-administered over a period of time to measure longitudinal progress. In contrast to some vulnerability assessments, the Index is also simpler and quicker to administer, with fewer indicators.

The SRI does not consider vulnerability and self-reliance as opposite ends of a spectrum. The SRI is designed with the understanding that one can be self-reliant in many ways yet still vulnerable in many ways, and that neither condition is permanent. Vulnerability and self-reliance are both fluid, complex and interrelated concepts, though this nuance is often omitted in the short-hand speech of aid programs.

+ Where can I find more information?

You are already in the right place! Feel free to explore the About and Resources pages to learn more about the RSRI and refugee self-reliance in general. Please visit our contact page with any specific questions.