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Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative

The Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative (RAFDI) provides evidence-based analyses that translate research findings into practice and policy impact. Established in 2022 as a response to an ever-increasing number of people forcibly displaced from their homes by protracted conflicts and persecution, RAFDI aims to expand the space for new perspectives, constructive dialogue and sustainable solu­tions to inform policies that will improve the future for the displaced people.

Insight & Analysis

Migrants camp in Necoclí before crossing the Darién Gap
Audio
Migration Through the Darien Gap: “It’s not a passage; it’s a jungle”
Video
Refugees and Forced Displacement
Civilians in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria Face Humanitarian Crises
2:54
Article
RAFDI Welcomes Three Fellows Whose Projects Amplify Refugee Narratives and Stories
October 7, 2024
Article
Refugee Creativity, Fun, and Initiative at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi
By Lisa Gilman on October 7, 2024
Learn More

Recent Events

Farmers harvesting coffee in coffee plantations of Guatemala
Event
Migration
Tackling the Root Causes: Food Insecurity and Forced Migration in Latin America
On Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at 10:30 – 12:00 ET
2023 USAID DRG Photo
Event
Democracy Promotion
Launch of USAID’s Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Policy
On Thursday, July 18, 2024 at 1:00 – 2:00 ET
RAFDI Sudan displacement event panelists
Event
Migration
Sudan at a Crossroads: Addressing the Largest Internal Displacement Crisis in the World
On Thursday, July 18, 2024 at 10:00 – 11:30 ET
Dr. Tsehaye Teferra speaks during World Refugee Day panel discussion
Event
Refugees and Forced Displacement
World Refugee Day: Celebrating Refugee Talents and Host Country Leadership
On Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 10:30 – 12:00 ET
UNHCR Camp in Syria
Event
Refugees and Forced Displacement
Forced Displacement in MENA and Its Gendered Impacts
On Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 9:30 – 10:45 ET
Panel I
Event
Refugees and Forced Displacement
RAFDI Working Group Report Launch | US Leadership Matters in Addressing Forced Displacement Crisis
On Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 1:00 – 2:30 ET
RAFDI Speaker Panel
Event
Refugees and Forced Displacement
Book Talk | We Wait for a Miracle: Health Care and the Forcibly Displaced by Muhammad H. Zaman
On Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 10:00 – 11:30 ET
Refugees arriving by boat
Event
History
Human Capital: A History of Putting Refugees to Work
On Monday, February 12, 2024 at 4:00 – 5:30 ET
Ukrainian refugees offered meals, clothes, shelter in Krakow
Event
Driven Out: Global Response to the Plight of Forcibly Displaced People
On Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 12:00 – 1:30 ET
Bylakuupe South India
Event
Refugees and Forced Displacement
Book Talk | Far From the Rooftop of the World: Travels Among Tibetan Refugees on Four Continents
On Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at 1:30 – 3:00 ET
Storytelling that Informs Policy: Addressing Forced Displacement and Refugee Challenges
Event
Migration
Storytelling that Informs Policy: Addressing Forced Displacement and Refugee Challenges
On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 10:30 – 12:00 ET
Flooded road in Central America
Event
Climate
Addressing the Converging Risks of Climate, Insecurity, and Migration in Central America
On Friday, April 28, 2023 at 10:00 – 11:30 ET

RAFDI Experts

Staff

Featured
John Thon Majok

John Thon Majok

Director of Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative (RAFDI); Deputy Director of Development
Joshua Peng

Joshua Peng

Development Associate, Grants and Special Initiatives; Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative

Interns

Julia Davatzes Headshot

Julia Davatzes

Staff Assistant Intern, RAFDI
Emma Wright

Emma Wright

Staff Assistant Intern, RAFDI

Fellows

Lisa Gilman

Lisa Gilman

Fellow;
Professor, George Mason University
Molly O'Toole

Molly O'Toole

Fellow;
Journalist and Author
Gaisu Yari

Gaisu Yari

Fellow;
Afghan Voices of Hope Project Director

Working Group

Image Hallam Ferguson

Hallam Ferguson

RAFDI Working Group Member; Former Public Policy Fellow;
Vice President for Global Operations, International Republican Institute
Rez Gardi

Rez Gardi

RAFDI Working Group Member;
Founder, Empower; Co-Managing Director, Refugee Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT); Co-founder, Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies at the University of Auckland, New Zealand
James Hollifield

James Hollifield

RAFDI Working Group Co-chair; Global Fellow;
Professor of Political Science and Director, Tower Center SMU
Susan F. Martin

Susan F. Martin

RAFDI Working Group Co-chair;
Donald G. Herzberg Professor Emerita, Georgetown University  
Sarah Miller

Sarah Miller

RAFDI Working Group Member;
Senior Fellow, Refugees International
Mathew Reynolds

Matthew A. Reynolds

RAFDI Working Group Member;
Regional Representative for the US and the Caribbean, UNHCR
Laura Robson

Laura Robson

RAFDI Working Group Member; Former Fellow;
Oliver-McCourtney Professor of History, The Pennsylvania State University
Tim Ziemer

Tim Ziemer

RAFDI Working Group Member;
Former Assistant Administrator, USAID