connecting refugees: how internet and mobile connectivity can improve refugee well-being and...

Connecting Refugees: How internet and mobile connectivity can improve

refugee well-being and transform humanitarian action

Copyright © 2016 Accenture All rights reserved. 22Copyright © 2016 Accenture All rights reserved.

In today’s digital world

connectivity is critical for everyone

There are

65 million refugees and internally displaced

people in the world today

On average, today's

refugees have been

displaced from their

homes for 17 years

For refugees connectivity is critical for survival:

+ For safety and security

+ For community-based protection

+ For education

+ For health

+ For rebuilding and sustaining a living

The importance of refugee connectivity


Three Key Barriers to Refugee Connectivity

Affordability of Devices

and Plans

Refugees have difficulty

working, hindering their ability

to afford connectivity

Availability of Networks

in Rural Areas

20% of rural refuges have no

mobile coverage at all – 2X that of

the global population living without

coverage

Usability of Devices

and the Internet

Refugees often lack digital

and/or language literacy to

make use of connectivity


Refugee vs Global Population Mobile Network Coverage

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Refugees Global Population

Rural


Urban


Total

Availability of networks in rural areas is limited

No Coverage 2G 3G+


Refugee household

phone ownership

Global household

phone ownership

VS.

Affordability constraints restrict mobile phone

penetration

Households with an

internet enabled phone

Households with

a basic phone

Households without

a phone

39%

32%

29%

75%

13%

12%


0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Largest Barriers to Internet Use

Device Affordability

Poor Literacy

Plan Affordability (Voice/Data)

Network Signal Strength

Understanding Phone Plan Options

No content in local languages

Difficulty charging mobile phones

Lack of need or interest

Inability to operate a mobile phone

Lack of awareness on how to access mobile phones

Regulatory restrictions

Restrictions from family on using phones

Security/Privacy concerns

Availability

Affordability

Usability

Usability challenges arise due to language

and digital literacy issues

Number of responses out of 95 UNHCR refugee sites surveyed


Benefits for private sector

partners:

• Incremental revenue

opportunities from new

paying subscribers

• Increased employee

engagement through staff

volunteer programmes

• Ability to pilot new business

models in a controlled low-

resource setting

UNHCR will collaborate with

relevant partners to provide

sustainable connectivity for

refugees and identify the

required resources to lead the

planning, execution, and

monitoring of implementation. REFUGEE &

HOST COMMUNITIES

PRIVATE

SECTOR

INSTITUTIONAL

DONORSNON-GOVERNMENTAL

ORGANIZATIONS

HOST

GOVERNMENTS

UNHCR

Partnering for Impact: Importance of the Private Sector


1. Enhance

Mobile Network

Operator

infrastructure

2. Collaborate with

Governments to

expand network

infrastructure and

access

3. Collaborate with

Mobile Network

Operators and other

technology/

communications

companies to improve

infrastructure

4. Make targeted

investments in

infrastructure

Ten strategic interventions: Availability


5. Negotiate

refugee-specific

plans and discounts

6. Subsidize

devices and

mobile/internet plans

7. Deploy and expand

community internet-

access centers

Ten strategic interventions: Affordability


8. Develop and implement

training programs

9. Enable an ecosystem

for

digital service

delivery

10. Facilitate

development of

refugee-relevant

content

Ten strategic interventions: Usability


Julian before Connectivity

• Cannot continue his

university studies or work

• Suffers from anxiety and

feels isolated as he is unable to

keep in touch with his family in Burundi

• Did not know there was a deadly

Cholera outbreak in his section

of the camp

• Has to wait half a day for food

• Walks over 5 km across the

camp to fulfill his volunteering

responsibilities

• Is vulnerableto groups seeking to exploit him

Julian with Connectivity

• Can access education and mobile

literacy programs allowing him to

generate more income

• Is able to maintain links with his family

• Can receive bulk texts from peers,

the government, or NGOs about key issues

• Can make the most of mobile cash

distribution, mobile health alerts and online

learning

• Can fulfill volunteering

responsibilities remotely

• Experiences increased self-reliance

and safety by being well-informed

Julian, 26 - Nyarugusu rural refugee camp, Tanzania


Methodology

The research findings are based on a first-of-its-kind assessment of refugee connectivity needs and usage.

This global assessment included surveys of and interviews with UNHCR staff and refugees as well as

geospatial mapping of global network coverage. The findings are informed by: (i) direct feedback from 238

refugees through 20 focus groups in 10 countries; (ii) survey responses from 95 UNHCR offices

representing 44 countries and more than 3 million refugees; (iii) in-person interviews with more than 30

UNHCR and partner NGO staff from five countries; (iv) analysis of proprietary mobile network coverage

data; and (v) refugee demographic data from UNHCR and the public domain. The findings not only shed

light on the extent to which refugees have access to connectivity, but also highlight the positive impact that

connectivity has on the well-being of refugees. This assessment was carried out by Accenture Development

Partnerships, the international development sector practice of Accenture, for UNHCR, the UN Refugee

Agency.

Read the summary report

Join the conversation @Refugees

Contact:

Alan Vernon, UNHCR Connectivity Project Lead, [email protected]

Thomas Abell, Accenture Development Partnerships, [email protected]

Prat Panda, Accenture Development Partnerships, [email protected]

Photo images courtesy of UNHCR

https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insight-refugee-connectivity-unhcr?c=psv_hpsurcrfy17_10000001&n=otc_0916

mailto:[email protected]



connecting refugees: how internet and mobile connectivity can improve refugee well-being and...

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