Evidence to Inform Refugee and Host Community Inclusion and Self-Reliance

The World Bank, UNHCR, and the World Bank-UNHCR Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement (JDC) will convene a regional dialogue in Nairobi on 15–16 September 2026.

The dialogue will bring together government representatives, national statistical offices, operational teams, researchers, development and humanitarian partners, and the private sector from Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Discussions will examine how evidence can better support refugee and host-community inclusion and self-reliance, focusing on national reform agendas, inclusive data systems, transitioning refugee camps with parallel services to sustainable settlements with integrated services for refugees and their hosts, as well as job creation and scaling up private sector investment.

The event will also explore how evidence can inform policy, operations, and investment decisions, while identifying shared priorities and evidence gaps across the three countries.

Regional Dialogue Details

Dates: 15–16 September 2026

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Format: Two-day, in-person event

Day 1: September 15, 2026

Opening and strategic framing of the dialogue

• Why evidence matters now for policy, operational, and investment decisions.

Contextualizing “50 by 35” and self-reliance for East Africa

• Displaced populations, solution pathways, and how the “50 by 35” targets scale in East Africa.
• What evidence says about why socioeconomic outcomes remain limited, including the main pathways, constraints, and barriers, and how self-reliance can be defined and measured in practical and policy-relevant terms.

Evidence to advance policies in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia: A comparative government discussion

• Country perspectives on Kenya’s Shirika Plan, Ethiopia’s Makatet Roadmap, and Uganda’s inclusion and transition strategies, including the role of evidence and data in informing these frameworks and policy choices, and the most critical remaining gaps.

Making displacement data visible in national data systems and usable for policy and programming

• Lessons from Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia on linking inclusive data systems to policy, implementation, and monitoring, and the roles of line ministries, NSOs, and partners in sustaining efforts.

Operationalizing sustainable human settlements for refugees and hosts: Practical solutions

• How governments can support the transition from camps to sustainable human settlements, including settlement types, key factors supporting or preventing the socioeconomic and spatial integration of refugee camps, and tools for planning, governance, and service delivery; drawing on evidence from World Bank-financed, UN-Habitat, and UNHCR programs in the region and beyond.

Day 2: September 16, 2026

Predictive modelling: Strengthening preparedness for refugee inflows

• Evidence and operational lessons from Uganda on how predictive analysis informs planning and preparedness in refugee-hosting districts; how the approach is being institutionalized; and which elements could be replicated in neighboring contexts, including the adaptations, evidence, and partnerships needed to sustain and scale it.

Pathways to scale jobs and private sector engagement

• How investment in displaced talent can support jobs, tax revenue, innovation, and viable businesses, and what is needed to translate macro-level evidence into implementation, including integrating local supply chains and achieving enterprise profitability.
• The market intelligence and policy shifts needed to attract more capital, including where evidence shows that these models can work and be profitable.

Economic inclusion and self-reliance pathways: Country case studies

• Policies and programs supporting livelihoods and self-reliance in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia, including the participation of refugees and the barriers that may limit access. Evidence from Bank-financed WHR programs in the region on economic inclusion and transition pathways.

How evidence enters policy and operations

• What makes evidence usable; where uptake breaks down; what gaps emerge between evidence and practice; and how findings can be presented more effectively.

Reflections from Government officials: Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia

Key takeaways and closing