The Self-Reliance Dividend: The Imperative of Syrian Refugees’ Economic Inclusion

Watch the related video: The Need for a New Refugee Response in the Middle East.

The international response to the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East stands at an inflection point. Over the last 15 years, international donors spent tens of billions of dollars on aid, but failed to create durable solutions to refugees’ displacement. The dramatic reduction in Western foreign assistance now threatens the foundations of the response, even as more than 3.5 million Syrians remain in neighboring countries. However, the collapse of the Assad regime, the transitional Syrian government’s successful international diplomacy, and Syria’s enhanced value as a potential workaround to the Strait of Hormuz have created a rare opportunity to integrate the refugee response into a more forward-looking vision for the region. Refugees who can work, build savings, develop skills, and access legal documentation are better positioned to contribute to host economies, withstand aid cuts, and participate in Syria’s reconstruction.

In a new CSIS Middle East Program report, Will Todman argues that an approach that prioritizes refugee self-reliance and private sector integration would be significantly more cost-effective than the current model. Gulf states are uniquely positioned to reformulate the Syrian refugee response because they have political influence, long-term economic stakes in regional stability, and growing investments in transportation, energy, and logistics corridors in the Levant. By using their financial and political leverage to connect refugees to private sector opportunities through labor mobility, skills development, and job creation, Gulf states could turn refugee self-reliance into part of the broader regional connectivity agenda. An investment-recovery-resilience nexus approach would enable displaced Syrians to contribute to the economic and political transformations reshaping the region.

This project was made possible by a donation from the Embassy of Qatar in Washington, D.C. The shape of this project, as well as the opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in its findings, are those of the author and do not represent the view of the embassy or the government of Qatar, which did not review the project’s findings before publication.