Refugee Adjida Fauzia has high praise for her neighbours in a small village in North Cameroon. “We cannot thank them enough for the sacrifices they’ve made,” she says.

Fauzia is one of 116,000 Nigerians to have fled their homeland in recent years to escape violent insurgency - and one of the approximately 421,000 refugees hosted by Cameroon. She crossed the border in 2018. Despite it being one of the poorest parts of the country, villagers welcomed those displaced by the fighting, giving them land to farm side by side with themselves.

The project to reallocate land has strengthened bonds between the host communities and refugees - and was coordinated with support from UNDP and UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency. It is typical of the type of project that results from the two agencies working together and also includes shelter construction, agricultural training, job creation, peacebuilding and mediation. “We have grown together,” says Fauzia.

Six decades of partnership

Cameroon is one of more than 30 countries where UNDP and UNHCR work together with governments to ensure that refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people and host communities all benefit equitably from development progress. In emergency situations, swift humanitarian action is essential in saving lives. But when displaced people do not have freedom of movement or access to the formal labour market, when they and their children lack adequate education and training opportunities, the cycle of aid dependency and poverty continues. There is also potential for conflict and further instability in communities that host high numbers of displaced people.

In places like the Afghanistan, the Great Lakes in Africa, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan and Syria, UNDP and UNHCR have been working together for 60 years. 2020 saw the global population of displaced people reach the highest level since the end of World War II. As the needs grow, so too has the pressure to be more focused, more connected and more effective. The partnership was strengthened in 2017 with the launch of a programme to support governments so they include refugees in their planning and programming on governance, rule of law, access to justice, peacebuilding, livelihoods and preparedness.

Towards a paradigm shift

The conflict in Syria has forced millions of people to flee their homes and make the often perilous journey to Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Since 2015, UNDP and UNHCR led a regional plan to tackle refugees from the Syrian crisis. So far, this has provided half a million people with cash assistance, helped over 44,000 individuals into employment and issued over 76,000 work permits to Syrians in Jordan.

Sene Abuhammed is one of 3.6 million Syrians refugees in Turkey. Through UNDP and UNHCR, she has learned how to grow vegetables and secured a farm job. She has recently rented land and started to sell vegetables. “Turkey has become a home for us and allowed us to make an income,” she said.

Together we heal, learn and shine

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development warns that “forced displacement of people threatens to reverse much of the development progress made in recent decades.” Crises in Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Venezuela have forced millions from their homes. Reversing these trends requires more investment or we will face another decade of new and protracted displacement.

The theme of World Refugee Day this 20 June is “Together we heal, learn and shine.” UNDP and UNHCR have plans to expand their joint humanitarian, development and peace programming for refugees, internally displaced persons and host communities around the world. We believe that with the right support and policies, forcibly displaced people can improve their own wellbeing and thrive, while making vital contributions to host communities’ development.

Find out more about World Refugee Day