Social Protection Systems for Forcibly Displaced Populations and Host Communities in Africa's Great Lakes Region

The Great Lakes Region (GLR) faces some of the world's most complex and protracted forced displacement situations, driven by recurrent conflict and political instability. Refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, and host communities coexist amid repeated cycles of displacement and return, placing sustained pressure on national systems and local service delivery. As displacement becomes increasingly protracted and humanitarian financing declines, there is growing urgency to identify development oriented responses that can deliver predictable, scalable, and sustainable support. This book examines the role of national social protection systems as a core development response to forced displacement in the GLR, focusing on Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. It assesses how social protection systems currently support forcibly displaced populations and host communities, using a revised Adaptive Social Protection framework that incorporates displacement specific vulnerabilities. The framework extends beyond traditional system diagnostics to include policies and legal rights, institutional arrangements, programs and delivery systems, data and information systems, and financing. Drawing on country-level analysis and a regional perspective, the book finds that while GLR countries have made important policy and legal commitments, social protection systems remain at an early stage of adapting to displacement. Coverage of forcibly displaced populations is limited, institutional responsibilities are fragmented, data systems often operate in parallel to humanitarian structures, and financing for inclusion relies heavily on external support. Refugees, in particular, face persistent barriers related to legal status, documentation, employment and access to national systems. The book argues that strengthening national social protection systems--while preserving humanitarian assistance for acute needs--offers a viable pathway to enhance resilience, reduce long term dependency, and support social cohesion in protracted displacement settings. It proposes sequenced, pragmatic recommendations to help governments and partners transition toward more inclusive, development led responses, anchored in vulnerability based approaches, strengthened data systems, and coordinated financing. The findings aim to inform policy dialogue and operational design in the GLR and other regions confronting prolonged forced displacement.

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