UNHCR promotes economic inclusion of all refugees ensuring the poorest of them are not left out. The Graduation Approach is a sequenced, multi-sector intervention that supports the poorest households to achieve sustained income and move out of extreme poverty within a specifi.ed period. Since 2014, UNHCR in partnership with Trickle Up, has supported adoption of the Graduation Approach in refugee contexts. To date, it has been initiated in 8 countries (Egypt, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Sudan). This commitment focuses on furthering an age and gender inclusive graduation approach in refugee contexts.

In 2018, UNHCR will continue to support the 8 field operations adopting graduation approach together with their local partners to ensure achievement of impact. Support will be through missions or remotely in the following: - capacity building of local staff to implement the graduation approach - design of the graduation program and its different components - provision of relevant tools, e.g. manuals, monitoring tools, etc. - technical guidance throughout the implementation period The support is expected to enhance country operations and partners' capacity to successfully implement the graduation approach in their context and generate sustainable self-employment and wage-employment opportunities for poor refugees, including the youth, enabling them to be self-reliant. The graduation approach targets all ages among the poorest of refugees. However, the proportion of youth participating in the program is determined based on context-specific conditions in the respective country of implementation. UNHCR will support expansion of the graduation approach to other refugee contexts through joint fundraising with Trickle Up. Importantly, UNHCR will enhance advocacy efforts for the inclusion of refugees in similar programs implemented by other actors such as the World Bank, USAID, government agencies, etc.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); Trickle Up