17 overlooked ways refugees are leading on sustainable development
Around the world, displaced and stateless people are taking action to halt climate change, achieve gender equity and solve other complex problems. The COVID-19 pandemic is not about to stop them.
In 2015, the United Nations adopted a set of goals to end poverty, eradicate inequality and halt or reverse the severe effects of climate change by 2030. These 17 goals — known collectively as the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs — commit the world’s leaders to acting now and leaving no one behind. The UN Secretary-General urges all sectors of society to contribute— including businesses, nonprofits and individuals — and recently declared this a Decade of Action.
At UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, we know that those most adversely affected by the world’s challenges are often best placed to discover and implement solutions. People forced to flee conflict or persecution, as well as those who are stateless, frequently lack access to quality education, health care and livelihoods — and the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated inequality. But many have discovered ways to farm sustainably, built thriving businesses and, more recently, designed solutions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. It’s a timely moment to reflect on what we all must do to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
Here’s how refugees are leading the way.
Most of the world’s refugees — 85 per cent — live in developing countries, with almost one-third hosted by the world’s least developed countries. Despite tremendous obstacles, they include many entrepreneurs and business owners who are rebuilding their lives, providing for themselves and their families, and contributing to their host communities.
Deilys, a 36-year-old mother of two from Venezuela, opened her own event-planning business after fleeing to Ecuador and seeking asylum. She bought an oven, a refrigerator and a mixer with seed money from UNHCR’s Graduation Model, an initiative that provides vocational training, emotional support and mentoring as well as financial and entrepreneurial support. She now sells vegan desserts at street fairs and other events and hopes to open her own shop soon.
“We don’t have everything, but we’re living well. We have no debts and we’re never behind on the rent. And when birthdays roll around, we have enough to buy gifts for our kids.” — Deilys
Conflicts and disasters, funding gaps, logistical challenges, rising food prices and loss of income due to COVID-19 all threaten to leave many refugees without enough to eat. To combat food insecurity, forcibly displaced people are finding innovative ways to grow crops and provide fresh fruit and vegetables to their communities.
Sahera, a Rohingya refugee in southern Bangladesh, has planted her own garden to provide fresh food for her children, share with neighbours and sell to local shops. She grows spinach, gourds and pumpkins — a particular favourite of her youngest daughter, Fatema. The farming project is an initiative of UNHCR and its NGO partner BRAC, an international development organization based in Bangladesh.
“My children get excited to see the vegetables. It reminds us of our farm back home. These vegetables taste really good, so I don’t have to buy any from the market. Not only do we have vegetables for ourselves, we often share them with our neighbours. If we have leftover produce, we sell it to nearby shops.” — Sahera
People forced to flee conflict or persecution often lack access to mental health care. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNHCR has received alarming reports of a surge in mental health issues in the Middle East and Africa. Refugees are finding ways to deliver mental health services.
Falak Selo, a Syrian refugee living in Iraq, works with the UN Refugee Agency’s mental health and psychosocial support unit. She and her colleagues hold impromptu wellness sessions with neighbours and provide one-on-one counselling. They have all taken courses in psychological “first aid,” which helps them to identify and in some cases help treat psychological conditions such as stress, anxiety or depression. In more serious cases, these community workers refer people to psychiatrists and psychologists, but their services have allowed more people to receive critical care.
“It gives me a feeling of fulfillment when I see that people are trusting me and coming back for my support. I’m following up on cases that need further care, because we are all neighbours here. I am doing this during working hours and after working hours when the neighbours visit and we chat over tea.”—Falak
Over half of all refugees are under the age of 18, yet quality education is often out of reach. More than 1.8 million children, or 48 per cent of all refugee children of school age, are out of school. Only 3 per cent of the world’s refugees have access to higher education. Some who have made it to university hope to inspire the next generation through teaching.
Kobra Yusufy, 27, dreamed of studying computers after watching her brother toil away on a borrowed laptop. She now studies software engineering at Kabul University thanks to a scholarship from the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative (DAFI). The DAFI scholarship, run jointly by the German Foreign Ministry and UNHCR, covers tuition for refugees as well as related costs for food, transportation and study materials.
Kobra, a former refugee who returned with her family to her native Afghanistan, was one of her country’s very first DAFI scholars. She dreams of someday teaching young people to use computers and helping refugee children to obtain a quality education.
“It will be a way for me to support communities. I know what it is like to suffer from a poor education. Along with my other classmates, I want to organize three to four month-long courses for school students free of charge and would especially like to conduct them in my former [high] school.” — Kobra
79.5 million people remained forcibly displaced at the end of 2019 — more than half of them women and girls. Those who fled alone, including pregnant or single mothers, disabled or elderly are especially vulnerable. Refugee women are forging their own paths and supporting other women.
Safaa, a former jewellery designer who fled Syria after her home was destroyed, signed up for what she thought was a gold-casting workshop. When she and her friends arrived at the training centre, they realized they had enrolled in a plumbing course. Her mistake: the Arabic word used in Syria for “metal casting”(sabaka) referred to “plumbing” in Jordan.
She and her friends, as well as the trainer, were the only women in the course and she decided to stay and complete the training. Today, Safaa owns her own nationwide business, providing work for 36 freelance plumbers, more than half of whom are Syrian refugees. She also runs the region’s only training centre for female plumbers, teaching hundreds of women.
“A woman is the carpenter, the blacksmith and the plumber in her own house — it is just normal. But if she goes and does this work at someone else’s house, it becomes unusual. Part of my persistence in doing this job is to challenge stereotypes and break taboos, so I am very proud of myself and the women working with me… I try to help women empower themselves.” — Safaa
When people flee conflict or persecution, they often struggle to safely and easily access adequate water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, whether they live in camps, cities or rural villages. In refugee camps, UNHCR aims to provide a minimum of 20 litres of water per day for each person. Yet we reach this critical mark in only 43 per cent of the camps. Refugees are helping to fill the gap.
Ferida, a South Sudanese refugee, created her own tippy tap handwashing station outside her house in Bele settlement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). These taps, made from sticks and recycled materials such as old plastic cans, help to promote good hygiene and fight the spread of COVID-19. A pedal releases the water so that people do not have to touch any part of the tap with their hands. Hundreds of refugees have learned to make the devices.
“This way my children can wash their hands at any time. And this shows an example to my neighbours, that they should wash their hands too.” — Ferida
At least four out of five forcibly displaced people rely on wood for cooking and heating, which can lead to deforestation and increase risks to women and girls who often must make long trips to collect it. More than 90 per cent of refugees living in camps have limited or no access to electricity, making it difficult for them to cook, keep warm, study or work. Refugees are finding ways to provide clean and affordable energy for themselves and their neighbours.
A cooperative of 70 Somali refugees and local Ethiopian women in southeastern Ethiopia are making and selling briquettes made from prosopis juliflora — a notoriously invasive, spiky tree that wipes out surrounding vegetation — as a cleaner, cheaper source of energy than wood. They are part of a larger program of cooperatives —some of whom harvest and sell the plant — supported by IKEA Foundation and UNHCR
Aden Abdullahi Ahmed, a member of the Dollo Ado cooperative, says he hopes his work will benefit future generations of host communities and refugees alike. Groups like this one create jobs, reduce competition over scarce resources, and make life safer for women and girls — who are usually the ones forced to travel far from home to scrounge for firewood.
“Cutting down the prosopis is useful for energy. At the same time, you are eradicating it and clearing the bush, so farmers could benefit from the empty land.” — Aden
70 per cent of refugees live in countries that restrict their right to work. Empowering refugees to earn a decent living and participate in local economies is critical if they are to rebuild their lives. Many refugees, when given the right to work, launch their own businesses — supporting their families and boosting local economies.
Salma Al Armarchi, 53, came to Germany as a refugee from Syria. Back home in Damascus, she cooked for fun or with friends, often donating food to people in need. When she arrived in Berlin with her son, Salma struggled to learn German and find steady work. After a friend asked her to cook some of her favorite Syrian dishes for a school picnic, she received a flood of requests. Salma soon founded Jasmin Catering, named for the white flowers that bloom in the Damascus spring. Today her catering firm serves Syrian food to high-tech clients such as Facebook and Cisco.
“We are happy to be bringing people new tastes. Now more people are breaking down the barrier, trying our food and liking it.” — Salma
A lack of internet connectivity for many refugees in camps and urban settings, as well as costly devices and limited training opportunities, prevents many forcibly displaced people from taking advantage of new technologies. But when given the chance, many refugees have used cutting-edge technology to solve problems.
Marwan, a Syrian refugee studying robotics at the Innovation Lab in Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan, designed and built a robot with his peers that automatically dispenses hand sanitiser so people don’t have to touch a bottle. He hopes this invention can help protect local and refugee communities in the camp and beyond. The robot is made out of LEGO bricks. Marwan’s team decided to make their design freely available and have shared it outside of the camp so more of the robots could be made.
“We made this robot to contribute as refugees. We want to be part of the fight against coronavirus.” — Marwan
COVID-19 has exacerbated inequalities in health care, housing and employment. Even before the pandemic, many Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) refugees faced continued threats after they fled persecution and violence at home. Many are breaking through barriers and advocating for equality in their new homes.
After her brother was murdered in 2016, Valentinna Rangel, a transgender woman, fled instability and persecution in Venezuela and found refuge in Chile. In her new country, she received the hormone treatments that allowed her to complete her gender transition, obtained a professional visa, landed a job at a prestigious advertising company and embarked on a masters degree programme. Valentinna advocates for LGBTI refugees and is a member of a national network of LGTBI refugees and migrants, coordinated by UNHCR, that raises awareness and supports rights organizations in providing assistance and guidance to the LGBTI community.
“I was afraid to leave my house or look for a job. I was afraid of being discriminated against for being transgender. For the first time, I feel valued for who I am. I feel that my colleagues listen to my ideas, and that they pay attention to my intelligence, not my gender identity.” — Valentinna
A majority of the world’s 26 million refugees live in urban areas. Refugees are helping to build inclusive and more sustainable cities.
Originally from Idlib, Syria, Ehab and his family sought refuge in Amman, Jordan. His family saved so he could to go to university, where he studied computer science. After graduating, Ehab volunteered at an innovation lab in Amman and taught programming to other Syrian refugees and locals.
Noting that many students struggled to learn programming, Ehab developed a kit to help them learn from home that included step-by-step video instruction. Together with one of his most avid students, a Jordanian woman named Amani, he then founded Drag IOT (internet of things), which sells high-tech programming kits. He also conducts workshops on digital innovation for refugees at Yarmouk University in Irbid, Jordan.
“When I was a kid, I would take apart my electronic games just to explore what was inside them.” — Ehab
“As a Syrian and a Jordanian, our partnership represents a success story for others to learn from. I am proud that someone like Ehab is achieving all this and helping me and other Jordanians, without thinking of himself as a vulnerable refugee. If everyone thought in this way, imagine how great this would be.” — Amani
The world’s most vulnerable people, including many who were forced to flee their homes, often suffer the worst effects of climate change and environmental destruction. Refugees are joining the fight to promote responsible consumption and production in camps, towns and cities, sometimes restoring forests one tree at a time.
Geal Deng Nyakong, a South Sudanese refugee, works at a tree nursery in Sudan, where she plants and tends seedlings alongside her Sudanese neighbours. They aim to plant one million trees in a massive reforestation drive in Sudan’s White Nile State. In addition to reviving forests, the project will move firewood production closer to the population. Geal has seen firsthand how deforestation has taken a toll on the environment she has called home since fleeing violence in South Sudan in 2014, and she is excited about the prospects of the tree nursery.
“I joined the project to earn a bit of money for food and some clothes, and to learn new skills about tree plantation.” — Geal
More frequent, intense and sudden weather-related disasters force an average of 21.8 million people a year to flee their homes, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Rising temperatures lead to limited natural resources, such as drinking water, crops and livestock, exacerbating conflicts creating food insecurity and destroying livelihoods. Refugees are at the forefront of fighting for climate action, and young refugees in particular are demanding that they be included in decision-making to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change.
Foni Vuni and Barth Mwanza traveled to the UN in 2019 to speak up for climate action. Both are members of UNHCR’s Global Youth Advisory Council, which is made up of young refugees, internally displaced and stateless people. They met with UN leaders, participated in the NYC Climate March (where Greta Thunberg spoke) and advocate for including young refugees in sustainable development planning.
Barth lives in the Tongogara refugee camp in Zimbabwe, where residents are recovering from the devastating effects of Cyclone Idai, which struck in March 2019. Young refugees in his community mobilized to help with recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Today, he continues to host clean-up events and lead awareness campaigns with fellow refugees on the need for climate action and food sustainability.
Foni, whose family fled South Sudan and now live in Kenya, has spoken at many UN meetings, including the UN Youth Climate Summit. She has met with decision-makers such as the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees and the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth.
“It was important for me to stress that youth have the energy, drive and knowledge to engage in climate action. We are told that the future belongs to the young, but the present belongs to us, too.” — Barth
“I think it’s… important that refugees take part in driving change in society. The Sustainable Development Goals were not developed for a specific group of people. They were developed for everyone, and this includes refugees.” — Foni
Pollution threatens oceans, rivers and other bodies of water that communities rely on for drinking water and food. Refugee volunteers and activists are working to protect marine and coastal ecosystems.
Omar started a youth group in Egypt to help Sudanese refugees like him integrate with the local community. Last summer, he was one of 50 refugees who worked alongside 800 local Egyptians to clean up riverbanks along the Nile, which provides 90 per cent of Egypt’s fresh water needs.
The Egyptian and refugee team hauled plastic from floating trash islands that have accumulated on the banks of the Nile in downtown Cairo. In one day, the volunteers removed 11.5 tonnes of trash.
“Volunteers will go back home and tell their parents that refugees from different communities helped them clean the Nile, and this will change their understanding of us for the better.” — Omar
There is a need to sustainably manage natural resources and ecosystems in or near refugee hosting sites in rural and urban areas and to minimize environmental impacts. Some refugees are leading the way in protecting endangered species and educating others on the importance of conservation.
Kutupalong refugee settlement in Bangladesh hosts hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees. It also happens to be part of a migratory route between Myanmar and Bangladesh for endangered Asian elephants. Elephants wandering into the camp have trampled shelters and occasionally killed refugees.
Recognizing the need to ensure the conservation of elephants while protecting refugees, a “tusk force” was set up and trained by UNHCR and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Refugee volunteers for the Elephant Response Teams (ERTs) staff watchtowers and sound an alarm if elephants enter the site. The volunteers also teach residents how to respond if elephants enter the camp and raise awareness and understanding about the need to protect this endangered species. The word for elephant in the Rohingya language means “uncle.” There is a heartfelt sense of responsibility for the elephants.
“When we first see an elephant in the camp we blow the siren to warn everyone. Then we make a U-shaped human chain to move the elephant away from the camp.” — Bashir
Millions of people around the world are denied a nationality because of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, language or gender or because of gaps in nationality laws. They often aren’t allowed to go to school, see a doctor, get a job, open a bank account, buy a house or even get married. Stateless people are leading the way in demanding change.
Born in 1988 in Lebanon to Syrian parents, Maha Mamo had no national identity until she was 30 due to restrictive and unfair laws in the countries to which she had ties. The challenges of attending school, going to the doctor’s office, passing through security checkpoints or even getting a mobile phone card made her life a daily struggle. In 2016, she fled to Brazil and in 2018 Brazil granted her citizenship.
Today, Maha advocates for the millions of people who are still denied a nationality. She speaks out against unfair citizenship laws, especially those that discriminate based on gender.
“Everything that people take for granted, I had to fight to get it. Education, work, health care and travel. My life was in danger, I could go to jail… I never imagined this day would come… this is my life’s dream coming true.” — Maha
The 2030 Agenda emphasizes the importance of the interconnectedness of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and partnerships to address them. Inclusive partnerships are a cornerstone of achieving the SDGs, and UNHCR works with forcibly displaced communities and partners towards their achievement.
Compiled by Deanna Bitetti, UNHCR Senior Global Communications Officer, and Sarah Schafer, UNHCR Senior Global Digital Editor.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people.
