So far, and especially in the case of Turkey, support for refugees has focused on making them fit more easily into host country economies. But, with many Syrian refugees now condemned to precarious lives in Turkey’s informal economy with negative effects on wider Turkish society, it is clear that this approach is not sufficient. Instead, the GRF should consider an approach that creates demand for refugee labor: supporting refugees by pairing trade concessions with economic inclusion.

The Forum was instituted by last year’s Global Compact on Refugees(GCR) to track progress on burden-sharing with countries hosting large numbers of refugees. The GCR’s objectives include “to ease pressures on host countries; enhance refugee self-reliance; expand access to third-country solutions; and support conditions in countries of origin for a safe and dignified return.”

Improving refugee access to jobs and livelihoods is a particular focus this year. The traditional refugee-response system — based on finding durable solutions to forced displacement through local integration, resettlement, and repatriation — is “broken.” And so, improving refugee self-reliance has become paramount. This is doubly important because, as the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) found, the average duration of the 32 protracted refugee situations at the end of 2015 is estimated at about 26 years. With the total refugee population now at an all-time high of 25.9 million (close to 85% of whom find themselves in developing countries), it’s imperative to ensure that refugees can be productive members of society — not a burden on host countries dependent on humanitarian largesse.

Read the full article about improving refugee self-reliance by Kemal Kirişci at The Brookings Institution.