Displaced and Disconnected
Research exploring the legal and regulatory barriers that can prevent refugees and other forcibly displaced people from accessing mobile connectivity and financial services.
Access to a mobile phone, bank account, or mobile money wallet can be essential for people who have been forced to flee, helping them communicate, access information, receive assistance, and participate in the economy.
Yet legal and regulatory requirements, particularly those related to identification, can make these services difficult or impossible for refugees and other forcibly displaced people to access.
UNHCR’s Displaced and Disconnected research series examines these barriers across different countries and regions, looking at how regulatory environments affect access to mobile connectivity and financial services and identifying opportunities to make these systems more inclusive.
The research began with an analysis of 20 countries undertaken by UNHCR in partnership with GSMA and was subsequently expanded through regional and country studies in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, and East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes.
Explore the Displaced and Disconnected research
Global research
The original Displaced and Disconnected research examined legal and regulatory barriers to digital and financial inclusion across 20 countries.
Americas
Building on the initial research, UNHCR examined barriers to digital and financial inclusion across countries in the Americas. Part I covers Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, while Part II covers Argentina, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Asia and the Pacific
The Asia and the Pacific research examines how legal status, identity documentation, and regulatory requirements affect access to connectivity and financial services for displaced and stateless people in the region.
Middle East and North Africa
The MENA research examines the legal and regulatory environments governing telecommunications and financial services in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon, with particular attention to identification requirements for SIM registration and financial services.
East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes
The research examines legal barriers to accessing mobile connectivity and financial services across nine countries in the region, building on earlier research and extending the analysis to Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan.
Displaced and Disconnected – East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes
Methodology toolkit
Building on the Displaced and Disconnected research, UNHCR developed a methodology toolkit to help humanitarian organizations and other institutions assess legal and regulatory environments for the digital and financial inclusion of forcibly displaced people.The toolkit provides an evidence-based approach for examining applicable frameworks for connectivity and financial services, identifying barriers and opportunities for more inclusive access.
Generously supported by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
