Kenya embraces refugee integration, with support from citizens
21/4/2025: The Kenyan government has officially launched its Shirika Plan, an initiative to turn the country’s two refugee camps – Dadaab and Kakuma – into self-reliant integrated settlements. The Plan has been lauded as a major step forward in securing durable solutions for Kenya’s 800,000 refugees, the majority of whom are from neighbouring Somalia and South Sudan.
Source: The New Humanitarian
Remittances far outstrip foreign aid. But can they replace it?
16/4/2025: In 2024, global remittances totalled around $685 billion, outpacing foreign aid. India was the top recipient, with inflows reaching $129 billion, followed by Mexico with $68 billion. There is debate about the pros and cons of remittances.
Source: Devex
Needs intensify as 400,000 Syrians return
11/4/2025: Some 400,000 Syrians have returned from neighbouring countries since the fall of the Assad regime in December. During the same period, more than 1 million internally displaced people within Syria have also returned. Without adequate funding, these returns may not be sustainable.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
Rohingya refugees are not safe in Bangladesh or Myanmar
10/4/2025: The refugee settlements in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh have become overcrowded and insecure. Funding support is inadequate. The Myanmar government has agreed to resettlement of as many as 180,000 Rohingyas but the civil war and breakdown of government raises questions about safety.
Source: Inter Press Service
UN Refugee Agency hails launch of Kenya’s landmark inclusion plan
28/3/2025: Kenya is home to two of the world’s largest refugee camps, hosting over 700,000 people. Under the recently launched Shirika Plan, these refugee-hosting areas will be developed into municipalities to increase economic opportunities, education, health, and essential services for both refugees and local communities.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
DR Congo crisis deepens as funding cuts hit humanitarian aid
21/3/2025: Critical funding gaps are severely hampering humanitarian efforts in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, pushing an already dire humanitarian situation closer to catastrophe. In and around the city of Goma in North Kivu, sites that were previously home to 400,000 internally displaced people have all been destroyed.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
UN Refugee Agency braces for thousands of job cuts
20/3/2025: The head of the UN Refugee Agency has warned staff that he is contemplating cuts of as many as 5,000 to 6,000 workers, primarily the result of “financial uncertainty” wrought by the US foreign aid freeze. The move comes as a number of UN agencies are bracing for deep cuts.
Source: Devex
UN migration agency cuts more jobs
13/3/2025: The International Organization for Migration, which serves a global population of over 280 million migrants, has laid off 20% of its headquarters staff, ceasing lifesaving operations from Myanmar to Yemen. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump suspended the program which resettled more than 100,000 refugees in the US in 2024.
Source: Devex
Return proposals a “new low” for Europe’s treatment of migrants
11/3/2025: The European Commission has introduced a proposed revision to the 2008 Return Directive which lays the ground for states to send people to countries to which they have no connection. Amnesty International describes this as an alarming departure from international law, likely to result in violations, including refoulement and arbitrary detention.
Source: Amnesty International
Up to one million Syrians plan to return home in desperation
7/3/2025: As of January, more than 3.4 million internally displaced persons were still in the northwest of Syria and a significant proportion are planning to return to their homes in the near future, placing additional strain on already overstretched basic services and infrastructure. Former frontline areas in the Idleb and Aleppo governorates are the primary intended destinations.
Source: UN News