Economic Development Group Discussion Notes

Identification of refugee skills

1. Purpose of project:

Maximize dignity, self-respect, and economic potential of residents while in the camp and upon repatriation

Honor and recognize camp-resident expertise and utilize that expertise in camp education
programs.

2. Description

Assess human resources

Develop protocol of questions asked during registration that will identify skills of refugees and inform economic development and other camp programs.

Add these questions to registration protocols under development

Included skills identified by other charrette teams e.g. site planning

3. This function will take place in the early emergency phase.

4. How will this idea be integrated into life in the camp(s)?
Develop some culture-specific incentive for providing information, for example. May require later reregistration.

5. How does this idea relate to other project ideas?
· Basic building block for all internal development projects.
· Empowers residents to be involved with wide range of programs.

6. Who knows how to develop and implement this project?
· Cultural experts (refugee leaders?) – frame questions
· Software developers - develop format
· UNHCR - implement at registration alongside source-community leader

7. Is this project applicable to displaced populations in other climates and cultures? yes

8. What organizations must be involved, in order for this project to succeed?
· Relief workers and leaders from source community.

9. When can this project be ready for use?
· Six months

10. Rough cost in people and materials:
· Moderate expense because it integrated into existing system. ~$100K with support from microsoft

11. Sources of support—who can provide:
· Advice – Organizational development people from industry (e.g Peter Senge), Bill Gates and
friends, Dave Warner and crew.
· Technical assistance? Current software developer.
· Money or in-kind contributions? Agency which incurs savings as result of this project.

12. Next step: Who will do what next, and by when:
· Responsible parties from this session take this to UNHCR or other agencies

13. Time required for project experiment (or first application):

14. How and by whom will first implementers be trained?

15. Method for educating teachers whom will propagate this project in other circumstances?

16. By what measures will we know it works and is replicable?

17. Barriers to implementation:
· Registration process is problematic — even chaotic and dangerous.
· Questions may be perceived as invasive.
· Institutional inertia.

18. How to overcome barriers:

19. List activities that must take place for this project to succeed. Include who will do each.

20. Successes with similar projects:

21. Sources of reference material for this idea: