Sustainable Sanitation Solutions for Refugees and Displaced Persons

Refugees and Forced Displacement

70 million

People displaced by war and persecution worldwide.

• 60% Refugees hosted in Urban centres

• 80% IDPs hosted in Urban centres

20years

Average Protracted Situation now greater than 20 years

Some protracted situations more than 40 years

17%Access Safe Sanitation

Only 17% of refugees have access to their own household toilet with safely managed sanitation services

Well behind the global average of 39%

Refugees are being left behind

New Approaches to Financing Sanitation in the

Humanitarian to Development Nexus

Refugees and Forced Displacement

Emergency Refugee SituationsFirst 6 months to 2 years

Emergency Water / Sludge Trucks

Water Trucking: Uganda

Chemical Toilets: Greece

Emergency Sanitation

Humanitarian Financing

TIME

$

• lifesaving services

• Low CAPEX, High OPEX

Protracted Refugee SituationsSanitation Solutions

2 years to 20 years +

Cost efficient long term access to basic services

environmentally sustainable technology

inclusion of refugees within national services

High CAPEX, Low OPEX

Circular Economy – Sanitation Waste to Value

Household Toilet with Waste Reuse to Produce Carbon Fuel Briquettes

Efficient Urban Style Water/Waste Treatment

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants:

Ethiopia, Bangladesh

Renewable Energy for Water Supply

Water Tower and Solar Pumping: Sudan

GLOBAL COMPACT ON REFUGEES

Responding to the Challenge of Refugees and Forced

Displacement in the Humanitarian to Development Nexus

Global Compact on Refugees

• Linking Humanitarian to Development

Four key objectives:

1. Ease the pressures on host countries;

2. Enhance refugee self-reliance;

3. Expand access to third-country solutions;

4. Support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity.

What does this mean in Practice• Moving away from encampment of refugees.

• Support authorities to host refugees in urban areas.

• Plan for transition to sustainable development solutions from the beginning of an emergency.

• Include refugees in national SDG development plans, policies, strategies and financing mechanisms.

• Development programming that benefits both refugees and host community

• Encourage governments to allow refugees right to work and pay for services.

• Encourage private sector activities that stimulate job creation and economic growth for refugees and hosts.

• Find durable solutions to protracted refugee situations

Humanitarian to Development FinancingCAPEX / OPEX

TIME

$ Humanitarian Financing CAPEXDevelopment Financing CAPEX

User Revenues Financing OPEX

GCR and New Approaches for Financing Sanitation Solutions

• States/Cities acknowledging the refugees/IDPs living within their borders can

unlock financing for accelerated SDG infrastructure development that would

not be otherwise available to benefit both refugees and hosting communities

(eg. IDA18)

• States/Cities should prepare and plan to welcome refugees/IDPs who can

bring significant long term economic and development benefits to a city which

will last long after they return home.

• The ultimate goal is to see States, Cities and Towns accelerate progress

towards achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through

Inclusion of refugees and IDPs.

Bangladesh – Case Study - CAPEXCox’s Bazar area where solar powered water supply systems and innovative urban wastewater systems are being funded by ADB/WB, designed and constructed to benefit both refugee and hosting communities. This will not only ensure the right to water and sanitation for refugees, but will also establish a safely managed water and sanitation system meeting the SDG 6 target for both refugees and host community.

Ethiopia – Case Study - OPEXIn Ethiopia, UNHCR has been working with the government towards greater inclusion of refugee water supply services within national development plans and management structures. The ‘Utility Model’ for water supply provision has been adopted in Jijiga and Gambella, where the national water system has been expanded into refugee hosting areas, with funding from development donors, resulting in a reducing the cost of water supply by 9ETB (0.33USD) per cubic meter for water supply for both refugees and hosting communities.

wash.unhcr.org