Zambia’s 60-year refugee solidarity legacy must now create shared prosperity - UNHCR

By NATION REPORTER

ZAMBIA’S six decades of welcoming people fleeing conflict and persecution should now be transformed into a platform for economic opportunity and shared prosperity for refugees and host communities, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said.

The UN refugee agency said Zambia’s long tradition of solidarity, which began shortly after independence, deserved recognition but should also be matched by greater investment in communities that had hosted displaced people for generations.

“Sixty years ago, a newly independent Zambia made a choice that would help define its national character: when people fleeing conflict and persecution sought safety, Zambia opened its doors,” the agency said.

In 1966, barely two years after independence, Zambia established Mayukwayukwa Refugee Settlement, while UNHCR established its presence in the country at the invitation of the government.

The milestone coincides with the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the cornerstone of international refugee protection.

UNHCR said the anniversaries provided an opportunity to reflect on what solidarity should mean in the current environment of prolonged displacement and shrinking humanitarian resources.

“The answer must go beyond providing refuge. It must be about creating opportunity, advancing self-reliance and ensuring that refugees and the Zambian communities that host them can prosper together,” it said.

The agency said humanitarian assistance alone could not provide a sustainable solution to prolonged displacement.

“Indefinite dependence on humanitarian assistance is neither sustainable nor desirable. We must instead create the conditions for refugees to become increasingly self-reliant, contribute to local economies and build solutions for their futures,” it said.

UNHCR said Zambia had already laid an important foundation through its National Refugee Policy and Implementation Framework, while Government was pursuing a whole-of-government approach aimed at transforming Mayukwayukwa, Meheba and Mantapala refugee settlements into economic hubs.

It said the next step should be removing barriers that prevented refugees from working, farming, accessing education and financial services and establishing businesses.

“Enabling refugees to use their skills and talents not only reduces dependence on assistance; it allows them to contribute more fully to Zambia’s economy,” the agency said.

Ends.