I am privileged to spend my days in wild and beautiful places painting birds. I am fascinated by them: by their abstract shapes, their song, their behaviour, their migrations. I have sketched them and helped in scientific studies of their…
Markets help crisis-affected populations access goods, services and economic opportunities that are critical to meeting their basic needs and supporting their livelihoods. Nevertheless, many aid organisations continue to provide in-kind assistance in areas where markets are functional. This may help…
In Denmark, asylum seekers are required to stay in asylum centres while their asylum applications are processed. During this time they are not allowed to work or pursue education but are provided with accommodation and a small stipend to buy…
To date, the Colombian government has registered over 7,300,000 victims of forced displacement as a result of the nation’s many years of conflict.[1] Given that forced displacement is known to result in high levels of extreme poverty (affecting 85% of…
When civil war erupted in 2011, Raqqa in northeastern Syria was not directly engaged in the conflict, and thus many Syrians from other provinces – such as Deir Az Zor, Homs and Hama – fled to Raqqa. They mainly settled…
Since the height of the so-called refugee crisis in 2015, Germany has accepted around 830,000 asylum applications.[1] Given the country’s ageing population, falling birth rate and decreasing availability of skilled workers, fully utilising refugees’ capacities in the labour market has…
The digital divide broadly speaking refers to gaps created in society based on access to and use of technology.[1] It is typically described as a twofold concept: a divide based on access to technology and a divide based on skills…
The protracted nature of forced displacement worldwide has brought to the fore not only refugees’ humanitarian needs but also the development challenges they face. These daunting challenges emerge in four critical and interlinked areas.[1] Refugees – in particular, refugee children…
Refugees face multiple barriers to gaining access to employment. In addition to the frequent lack of access to the right to work in host countries and the lack of accessible legal and safe economic migration pathways, there are added barriers…
Whether doctors, teachers, engineers or IT specialists, the highly educated refugees I interviewed in Norway, Sweden and Germany between 2016 and 2017 aspired to continue working within their occupational fields. In order to do so they need to validate their…