A Transformational Agenda

A Transformational Agenda

We are a coordinated, global effort to make digital connectivity accessible, affordable, and sustainable for refugee-hosting areas.
Officials tour a busy computer lab with students and orange workstations, while a screen displays a crowd.

What We Do

We are a multi-stakeholder initiative advancing the availability and affordability of connectivity for 20 million forcibly displaced people and their host communities by 2030, founded by UNHCR, ITU, the GSMA, and the Government of Luxembourg.

The initiative prioritizes enhancement of both individual connectivity (via a personal device) and collective connectivity (via a shared or communal device and spaces). This is often done in partnership with governments, the private sector, and civil society.

Key Connectivity Issues

Time and again, we hear that refugees and host communities face sizeable and structural barriers to getting online. These include:
test

Unreliable Electricity

Many refugee-hosting areas do not have steady access to power, especially in remote or fragile locations far from the electricity grid.
A red and white cell tower dominates a dry landscape with people and small structures at its base.

Unstable Internet

Limited infrastructure, inadequate network design, and poor maintenance often result in slow, unreliable, or inconsistent internet access.
Hands with dark henna tattoos hold a light-colored smartphone against bright green clothing.

Unaffordable Devices

The cost of phones, tablets, and computers can be out of reach for many, making individual device ownership difficult.
Three smartphones display Spanish video content about refugees over a yellow handprint on the pavement.

Unaffordable Connectivity

High costs of mobile data or internet subscriptions limit how often people can get online and restrict meaningful use of digital services.
A woman in a leopard print hijab works on a laptop on a wooden frame inside a makeshift structure.

Low Digital Literacy

Limited digital skills prevent people from operating their devices and navigating online services effectively, safely, or at all.
Elderly woman in a magenta headscarf and patterned jacket talks on a black feature phone.

Unfavourable Policy

ID-related legal requirements means refugee documents may not be recognized in certain jurisdictions to access devices and the internet.

Our Approach

We deliver lasting connectivity to communities by working with partners across the connectivity ecosystem, from governments to mobile network operators. Our approach is guided by five core pillars.

Understand local challenges

Collaborate with research and technology partners to build evidence on the coverage and usage gaps unique to refugee-hosting areas.

Coordinate ecosystem stakeholders

Convene governments, private sector, development and community actors at the country and global levels to co-develop and implement sustainable solutions.

Deploy innovation solutions

Explore new partnership and delivery models for connectivity access and digital inclusion, with a focus on private sector activation.

Scale what works

Pilot connectivity solutions with partners, aiming to replicate successful models across different contexts and geographies.

Advocate for long-term, sustainable outcomes

Integrate refugee digital inclusion priorities into national strategies, policy frameworks, and private sector strategies.

Our Background

2023
October

Connectivity for Refugees Online Launch

This event brought the Connectivity for Refugees (CfR) initiative and the associated transformation pledge to a public audience of practitioners, decision makers and policymakers within a wide range of organizations. In the session, initiative partners explained more on the connectivity challenge and provided examples of pledges that audience members can consider. 

Watch full video
2023
December

Global Refugee Forum Pledge

UNHCR, GSMA, ITU, and the Government of Luxembourg founded the multi-stakeholder pledge at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum. The pledge brought together a wide coalition of member states, humanitarian organizations, civil society and the private sector that each made commitments to providing connectivity to forcibly displaced and stateless people and the communities that host them. Pledges can be viewed here

Visit pledge website
2024
June

Global Secretariat Established

Momentum quickly turned into action. The initiative began tracking progress, engaging partners, and advancing commitments across key refugee-hosting countries. A global secretariat was established to coordinate activities, investments, and partnerships across 10 countries.

2025
April

Local Capacity Building

As the initiative expanded its support to 15 countries, CfR began appointing dedicated country-level Connectivity Coordinators to drive engagement and implementation on the ground. The first coordinator was deployed in Ethiopia, with more to follow in other operations such as Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

2025
June

Regional Digital Inclusion Workshop in Kenya

Together with the World Bank, CfR co-hosted a regional workshop in Kenya to accelerate digital inclusion and self-reliance of refugees across Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan. Held as part of the World Bank’s Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (EARDIP), the workshop brought together governments, UN agencies, development partners, and private sector leaders, marking a major step in the initiative’s collaboration with development actors to advance connectivity for refugees.

2025
October

Digital Inclusion Working Group Launch in Ethiopia

UNHCR and the Ethiopia Refugees and Returnees Services (RSS) co-launched a multi-stakeholder working group to tackle the affordability and accessibility of connectivity for refugees and host communities. This group is one of several country-level CfR platforms designed to convene key connectivity stakeholders to co-create and implement sustainable, locally driven connectivity solutions.

2025
November

Leadership Roundtable on Digital Transformation in Refugee Hosting Areas

Leaders from ITU, UNHCR, GSMA, and the Government of Luxembourg convened a high-level roundtable to identify urgent actions needed to advance digital inclusion in refugee-hosting areas. The session also outlined CfR’s ambitions and strategy to reach 20 million refugees and host community members by 2030, highlighting the importance of sufficient resources and strong private-sector partnerships to scale impact.

2025
December

Global Refugee Forum Progress Review

CfR’s work over the past two years was recognized as part of the official stocktaking of pledges. The initiative was highlighted at the event as a strong example of what is possible when sectors collaborate and refugee communities help shape solutions.

Our Initiative in Numbers

15
Countries across Africa, Asia, and the Americas with active efforts to advance connectivity access.
750
K+
Forcibly displaced people and their hosts will have benefitted from improved availability, affordability, and / or reliability of internet services by Q2 2026.
15
+
Internet service providers, including mobile network operators and satellite operators, have collaborated with the initiative to expand connectivity access.
28
+
Shared facilities, such as schools and health centres, are equipped with communal devices and reliable internet will be available to refugee and host communities.

Connect With Us

You are invited to be a part of our global network working across sectors to expand connectivity for refugees and host communities.

Contact us
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