About the Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative

The Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative (RAFDI) seeks to expand the space for new perspectives, constructive dialogue, and sustainable solutions to inform policies and practices that address global displacement. Through public and private convenings, evidence-based research and analysis, partnerships, and engagement with different stakeholders, the Initiative aims to improve policy and programmatic approaches that privilege refugee lived experience, livelihoods, self-reliance, host-country integration, and the role of faith in global responses.

As conflict-induced forced displacement continues to increase in scope, scale, and complexity, the need for sustainable solutions and innovative ways to support refugees and host countries has never been more urgent. Of the more than 117 million people forcibly displaced from their homes due to persecution, armed conflict, violence, or human-rights violations, nearly 37 million are refugees.

The global forced displacement crisis tests the core values that underpin international cooperation. The humanitarian system is at a breaking point as resources required by host countries to meet the growing needs of refugees and other displaced people have not kept up. Increased competition among nations and heightened geopolitical tensions risk the erosion of multilateral response. Misinformation and disinformation exacerbate negative narratives that shrink the space for constructive dialogue. 

Drawing from a human development approach, which puts people at the center of analysis, RAFDI is expanding the space for new perspectives that are informed by the lived experience of displaced people. It aspires to be a go-to forum for evidence-based analysis translating research into practice and impact. RAFDI dives deep into the complexities of the plight of forcibly displaced people from and within the Global South and their implications for the global community, focusing on protracted refugee situations in East Africa, global and regional trends analysis, the policy environment in host countries, and the role of faith in refugee resilience as well as its intersection with forced displacement.

History

In response to the growing number of people forcibly displaced from their homes and the need for objective facts, the Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative was established in 2022 at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars to help policymakers and practitioners meet this challenge. In 2025, when the Wilson Center was reduced to its statutory minimum functions, RAFDI subsequently transferred to the Migration Policy Institute, adding a new strand to the significant body of work already being done through MPI's global and U.S.-focused programs and initiatives. RAFDI’s earliest work—events, publications, analyses, and working group experts—can be accessed through the Wilson Center website.