In Egypt, the refugee landscape has shifted dramatically following the Sudan crisis, with registered refugees tripling since March 2023 to over 1.4 million, 75 percent of whom are Sudanese nationals. Economic instability, including inflation and currency depreciation, has heightened vulnerabilities for both refugees and host communities. A joint assessment by WFP and UNHCR revealed that 65 percent of refugee households are highly or extremely vulnerable, 58 percent are food insecure, and over half live below the Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket. To address this, a comprehensive vulnerability assessment and a joint targeting model were developed through collaboration between WFP, UNHCR, and Egypt’s Central Bureau of Statistics, with technical support from the Joint Hub ensuring evidence-based decision-making. Challenges included delays in finalizing data-sharing agreements, the absence of a dedicated coordinator, and frequent changes in refugee phone numbers, yet momentum was maintained through regular coordination. Key lessons emphasized clear communication, realistic planning, integrating qualitative insights into statistical models, and selecting targeting criteria that are accurate yet cost-efficient.
In Zimbabwe, the 2023/2024 joint assessment focused on the Tongogara Refugee Settlement, home to 23,000 refugees and asylum seekers, representing over 70 percent of the country’s refugee population. The assessment responded to economic pressures, reduced funding, and new arrivals from DRC and Mozambique. Conducted collaboratively by WFP, UNHCR, government agencies, and NGOs, the assessment employed a mixed-methods approach combining household surveys, focus groups, and key informant interviews. Success was attributed to inclusive team dynamics, alignment with government structures, standardized protocols, and monitoring systems, supported by the Joint Hub. Implementation challenges included discrepancies in population data, conflicting partner schedules, and socio-economic diversity within the camp, which required adaptive sampling and triangulation. Lessons highlighted the importance of early community engagement, capacity mapping for effective role assignment, contingency planning, and the use of local interpreters to improve data quality and accuracy.
In South Sudan, which hosts over 600,000 refugees primarily from Sudan, the joint assessment shifted from status-based to needs-based targeting, building on a 2021 recommendation. The WFP-UNHCR assessment expanded WFP’s Post-Distribution Monitoring survey to include protection and food security indicators, with qualitative data collected through focus groups and interviews. Strong collaboration between WFP, UNHCR, the government, and the Joint Hub, as well as the use of livelihood zones to cluster refugee camps, allowed for context-specific analysis and programming. Challenges included limited sample sizes in some camps, varying livelihood contexts, and the time-intensive development of the targeting approach, which were mitigated by adjusting sampling strategies and flexible timelines. Lessons emphasized the importance of involving all stakeholders, including host communities, synchronizing data collection, establishing clear governance structures, and balancing quantitative and qualitative data for contextualized insights.
Across Egypt, Zimbabwe, and South Sudan, common themes emerged highlighting the value of joint planning and coordination between WFP and UNHCR, mixed-methods approaches to enhance data depth and relevance, community engagement to build trust and participation, triangulation of data sources to ensure robust analysis, collaboration with national counterparts to strengthen sustainability and ownership, and clear governance structures and communication protocols to streamline implementation and reduce delays.
