Humanitarian need for Rohingya refugees and the host community in Cox’s Bazar, home to the world’s largest refugee camp, is daunting. While Bangladesh should be commended for its generosity in opening its borders to Rohingya refugees, accelerated efforts are required to support the over 1.2 million people in need of humanitarian and development assistance. Simultaneously, further pressure is needed from the international community and regional actors on the Government of Myanmar (GoM) to create conditions in Rakhine conducive to the safe, voluntary and sustainable return of the Rohingya. Building on new research from the International Rescue Committee on positive market conditions in Cox’s Bazar, this brief highlights the untapped potential of livelihoods programming to increase self-reliance and economic empowerment for affected communities. It concludes with recommendations to the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and key actors engaged with the crisis to support refugees and locals, and women in particular, to rebuild their lives and livelihoods and take back control of their future.

In 2017, atrocities by the Myanmar military drove over 850,000 Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh, where they continue to live in temporary settlements today. Over the past four years, as conditions inside the refugee camps have deteriorated, the host community in Teknaf and Ukhiya—who generously welcomed refugees in 2017—have seemingly grown wary of their protracted presence. Intensifying environmental, economic and social impacts linked to continued Rohingya displacement have raised tensions, and studies since 2019 have documented declining social cohesion between refugee and host communities. This study, undertaken by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), in collaboration with researchers at Dhaka University (DU), assesses the challenges and opportunities to social cohesion in the Rohingya context. The report maps out social tension across five issue areas: environment and ecology; labour market; cultural and political landscape; land; and the presence of the humanitarian community.

Thousands of people are fleeing their homes as the Iraqi army, Kurdish Peshmerga and coalition forces fight to retake Mosul — Iraq's second largest city — from the ISIS militant group. Nearly 22,000 Iraqis have been displaced since the battle for Mosul began on October 17. Almost half of them are children. People who fled surrounding communities are telling International Rescue Committee aid workers about the two years of terror they endured living under ISIS. Here, one woman describes how her family managed to survive under ISIS’s strict code of behavior and dress, and how they were finally able to escape as the military offensive began.

In recent years, there has been growing donor momentum around youth-focussed programming with a focus on the role of youth in social, economic and political development, especially in conflict affected countries. However, there is a lack of detailed information about donor policies and strategies and whether and how these strategies have been matched by an increase in funding and specific programming to meet youth needs. The International Rescue Committee commissioned this report to analyse key trends in donor strategies, programmes and funding to meet the needs of youth (aged 15-24) in conflict- and disaster-affected countries, with a specific focus on youth livelihoods development. The report is based on an in-depth desk-based review of available donor policy documents, programme and project information sourced from donor websites or staff members, as well as interviews with donor representatives. It focuses on the major public sector donors that have worked on, with and for youth over the last decade. Annex A provides information on the policies, strategies and programming of individual, bilateral and multilateral donors

Gender-based violence (GBV) often escalates during humanitarian emergencies, especially when crises result in displacement. Increasingly, displaced persons are living in host communities or informal settlements, with more than half of the world's displaced people living in urban areas. Furthermore, conflict and disasters exacerbate many forms of GBV, such as sexual violence, intimate partner violence (IPV), and early marriage. Often those populations at greatest risk of GBV reside in areas that are difficult to access, both in terms of distance and security. To address these challenges, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), with support from the U.S. State Department, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM), and European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), has developed guidelines to support the provision of mobile and remote services to survivors of GBV in out-of-camp humanitarian settings. The guidelines recommend approaches and minimum standards for designing and implementing such approaches to service delivery while adhering to best-practice principles.

Children are one of the most vulnerable groups of migrants. They have complex needs, including for a safe and stable environment, as well as access to healthcare, education and tailored, child-friendly services. Within this group, unaccompanied children, who have been separated from their families and are not being cared for by an adult guardian,are particularly exposed to increased risks of violence, abuse, and exploitation. As a result, they need targeted and appropriate services to scale, including adequate identification and registration, guardianship and legal representation, quality accommodation and care arrangements. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been providing child protection services for asylum-seekers, refugees and other migrants in Greece since 2016, and have been providing Supported Independent Living services for teenagers in Athens in 2019. We believe that durable solutions that better address the needs and safeguard the rights of unaccompanied children must be urgently introduced or expanded. This report aims to highlight the importance of strengthening the multiple durable solutions available for unaccompanied children in Greece.