Covid-19: Understanding the Impact of the Pandemic on Forcibly Displaced Persons

The Covid-19 pandemic has left no corner of the world untouched. To cite just one figure, 100 million people have been pushed into poverty, according to a recent World Bank study. The two-speed recovery from the pandemic, depending on vaccine availability, is expected to leave lasting imprints on the economic performances of countries, which data suggest will have a disproportionate effect on forcibly displaced persons and their host communities. This summary highlights key messages from research focusing on how people displaced by war and conflict have been affected by Covid 19 and its secondary impacts. Diverse lived experiences are explored, ranging from the erosion of forcibly displaced persons’ rights during the pandemic, to Syrian refugees with disabilities in Turkey, to displaced Rohingya in Bangladesh. This Research for Policy and Practice Paper sets out examples of the multidimensional social and economic challenges displaced people are facing during the pandemic and presents a series of evidence-based recommendations for positive change that could be achieved even in the most challenging contexts.