全球智库信息集成服务系统

With most refugees now living in urban areas, governments, nongovernmental organisations and relief agencies must find new ways to help this vulnerable population secure stable livelihoods. ‘Refugee economies’ — the economy created by urban refugees through their work, entrepreneurship, consumption and support networks — can make significant contributions to host city economies. Drawing on our case study of Addis Ababa, where refugee-run businesses are tightly integrated into the city’s wider economy, we explore the obstacles that can limit refugees’ economic contribution and recommend policies to overcome them. As a first step, humanitarian agencies should encourage host governments to grant urban refugees the right to work so host cities can share the benefits of their innovation, creativity and international links.