Members of Unione Italiana Apolidi (Italian Union of Stateless Persons), which is among the first recipients of UNHCR’s Refugee-led Innovation Fund, at a launch event in Rome. © UNHCR/Valerio Muscella
GENEVA – A new Refugee-led Innovation Fund from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has awarded 17 organizations hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve the lives of displaced people and host communities.
From an initiative equipping stateless people in Italy with the advocacy skills they need to change the narrative on statelessness, to a seed bank and community garden system supporting sustainable food security and livelihoods in Uganda, these innovative projects will make lasting positive change.
“This is an important moment for UNHCR and the wider humanitarian community. People who are forced to flee must take centre stage in finding solutions to the problems they face,” Hovig Etyemezian, Head of UNHCR’s Innovation Service, said at an event to launch the Fund and introduce its first awardees on February 28. “The Refugee-led Innovation Fund is part of that process.”
Co-designed with refugees, the Fund was launched in 2022 to champion the creativity of all displaced and stateless people. It aims to provide refugee-led organizations with meaningful financial resources to implement and develop their innovative projects, as they often face challenges accessing direct and flexible funding.
“Our project will create social cohesion through the establishment of farmer-led committees consisting of different nationalities,” said Arinda Jeninah, a member of Kyete Biingi Tai Nyeme (KBTN) in Uganda, one of the organizations receiving the fund. “It’s an inclusive project that values all the community members, organizes community building activities, as well as [ensuring] access to resources regardless of people’s status.”
With the support provided by the Refugee-led Innovation Fund, KBTN is planning to establish a seed bank and set up community gardens and communal access to equipment in Nakivale refugee settlement. The organization expects 2,400 farmers to directly benefit from the project.
