After he was forced to flee his home, Yunus had to start again in the UK. With the help of the IRC, World Jewish Relief and The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network C.I.C.’s Refugee Employability Programme, he is hoping to start a new career in cyber-security.

Today’s refugee crisis poses serious challenges to the international order. Conflict and crisis have pushed some 21 million people to seek refuge outside their home countries, including 5 million who have fled Syria since the civil war began in 2011. Approximately 76 percent of refugees live outside of camp settings, making it even more difficult to locate and reach them with essential services. Furthermore, protracted displacement has become the “new normal.” Refugees now spend an average of 10 years away from their homes, and for refugees displaced more than five years, the average is 21 years.

Earlier this year the IRC in Greece hosted cooking workshops for refugee and local women living on the island of Lesvos. Learn Elisabeth shares a spinach stew with beef and shrimp recipe.

The much-anticipated Global Compact for Refugees (GCR), expected in late 2018, together with the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), promise to revitalize refugee response through a multi-stakeholder “whole of society” approach. At a time when the international community is grappling with fundamental questions such as the equitable sharing of responsibility for refugees, the views and opinions of citizens in East Africa are invaluable in charting new directions.

The IRC has released results of a new survey after interviewing more than 800 Syrian refugee families, uncovering the reasons why refugees are embarking on the perilous journey to Europe.