High-Level Dialogue: Connecting Communities, Unlocking Futures: Strengthening Digital Connectivity for Refugees and Host Communities
ITU/GSMA/UNHCR
Session 466
For people forced to flee, and the communities that host them, connectivity is a lifeline. Meaningful connectivity enables access to education, health services, livelihoods, protection, and participation in society, while also providing life-saving information, including early warnings in times of emergencies. However, forcibly displaced populations face significant barriers to accessing digital infrastructure and services.
The Connectivity for Refugees (CfR) initiative, launched in December 2023 at the Global Refugee Forum aims to bridge connectivity and infrastructure gaps that limit access to the digital world for refugees and host communities. By strengthening digital connectivity, the initiative enables access to essential services, digital skills development, and economic opportunities, supporting inclusive and sustainable growth for displaced populations and their hosts.
Session Objectives
- Highlight the strategic importance of meaningful connectivity for refugees and host communities as an enabler of protection, inclusion, resilience, and sustainable development.
- Showcase the Connectivity for Refugees (CfR) initiative as a collaborative platform to advance inclusive digital connectivity in displacement contexts.
- Foster high-level dialogue on the policy, regulatory, financial, and partnership conditions needed to scale sustainable connectivity solutions.
- Encourage stronger multi-stakeholder cooperation and shared commitment to advancing digital inclusion for forcibly displaced populations and host communities.
-
C1. The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
-
C2. Information and communication infrastructure
-
C3. Access to information and knowledge
-
C11. International and regional cooperation
This session is directly linked to the selected WSIS Action Lines as it focuses on strengthening meaningful digital connectivity for refugees and host communities. It supports C1 by promoting cooperation among governments, international organizations, the private sector, humanitarian actors and affected communities. It contributes to C2 by addressing connectivity and infrastructure gaps in displacement contexts, and to C3 by enabling access to information, education, health services, livelihoods, protection and life-saving information. Finally, the session contributes to C11 by encouraging international and regional cooperation through the Connectivity for Refugees initiative and broader multi-stakeholder collaboration.
-
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
-
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
-
Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
This session contributes to the selected Sustainable Development Goals by promoting meaningful digital connectivity for refugees and host communities as a foundation for inclusion, resilience and sustainable development. It is strongly linked to Goal 9 because the session addresses connectivity and infrastructure gaps and explores sustainable solutions for resilient digital infrastructure in displacement contexts. It supports Goal 10 by helping reduce digital inequalities faced by forcibly displaced populations and host communities, ensuring they are not left behind in the digital transformation. The session also contributes to Goal 17 by promoting multi-stakeholder partnerships among governments, international organizations, the private sector, humanitarian actors and affected communities through the Connectivity for Refugees initiative.
- Objective 1: Close all digital divides and accelerate progress across the Sustainable Development Goals
- Objective 2: Expand inclusion in and benefits from the digital economy for all