DevelopmentAid vlogging series: What is wrong with the humanitarian approach to refugees?

By the end of 2018, almost 70.8 million individuals were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations. It is the highest number since World War II, says UNHCR.

The UN refugee agency estimates that 80% of the world’s refugees have been living in exile for five years, and around one-fifth of them for 20 years, underscoring the intractable nature of the situation. Therefore, looking at refugees through the “humanitarian lens” is no longer enough, said UNHCR’s new Director of the Africa Bureau, Raouf Mazou. Recently, he spoke about a necessary shift in the way development agencies and humanitarian organizations approach refugees, stressing the need to pursue greater self-reliance and socio-economic inclusion of refugees globally.
“We tend to go to a place and look at those who suffer the most, who are in need of our intervention. But we don’t look at those who are talented, those who have potential and those who are already doing things,” he explained.