Refugee Response Index

The Refugee Response Index (RRI)

DARA is pleased to share the Refugee Response Index (RRI) Guidebook and Questionnaire.

You can download the RRI using the link below.

Refugee Response Index 2021

RRI cover

The Refugee Response Index is a civil society led initiative designed to assess and monitor countries’ response to refugees and asylum seekers in an independent and comprehensive manner. It covers each component of an adequate refugee response and can be used in any country context, regardless of size and contribution to the global refugee response. With support from the European Commission (DG-INTPA), the Refugee Response Index was successfully pilot tested in Kenya and Costa Rica, and the findings from this process informed the refinement of the indicators and methodology. The detailed Guidebook and Questionnaire, comprising 6 pillars and over 160 indicators ranging from access to asylum through to making the international refugee system work, has now been finalised.

Several well-known global monitoring and data collection tools that address development, good governance, and other human rights measures have been supported by the international community for many years. Despite its global importance, there is no similar index on refugee protection and forced displacement issues. The Refugee Response Index is intend to fill that gap.

There is a genuine need for transparent and objective data collection concerning state practice on refugee protection issues. International organisations with extensive field presence that collect and report their own data, may be constrained by the political economy of being reliant on voluntary funding contributions from governments making it difficult to report critical information. The input and experience of international organisations and major non-governmental actors in the asylum field helpfully inform the design and testing of the Refugee Response Index, strengthening its pragmatic application to operational entities, policy makers, and advocates.

The outcomes of the Refugee Response Index data collection and reporting should help all concerned actors through informing policy decisions, dialogue, programme design, and measuring impact and delivery. As a data collection and delivery tool, the Refugee Response Index provides valuable insights into the policy framework underpinning countries’ refugee responses, and its intrinsic value will be enhanced in scaling up the data collection process to a broad range of countries on a regular basis so progress can be tracked. Like other global indexes, this allows countries to view their performance from an international perspective and facilitates identification of best practices across the globe.

Now is a crucial time to introduce a Refugee Response Index onto the international stage, especially as the impacts of Covid-19 on global inequality and climate-based displacement have reached alarming levels. Linked to fragility, conflict and violence in many parts of the world, building a solid data based on country performance is an essential tool to better understand present and future challenges concerning asylum and refugee protection practices. To this end the Refugee Response Index hopes to make a longstanding and credible contribution.

DARA is currently seeking support for the implementation of the Refugee Response Index in other countries. For more information please contact Daniela Ruegenberg, druegenberg@daraint.org 

Watch our short video to learn more about the Refugee Response Index