Refugees and trade

Today’s world is shaped by migration and displacement. Over 120 million people around the world are displaced by conflict, climate shocks and instability. Of these, 58% are displaced within their own countries and 27% are refugees. Behind these numbers are individuals and families who have been forced to leave everything behind, often undertaking long, arduous journeys that leave lasting emotional and psychological impacts.  

Even when they reach temporary safety, many continue to face uncertainty — with limited access to healthcare, education, and opportunities to earn a living. For those who choose to return, rebuilding their lives is rarely easy.  

At the International Trade Centre (ITC), we understand that trade and entrepreneurship must be part of the solutions to displacement and migration challenges, helping countries and affected people drive integration, resilience, and dignity. Through our Refugees and Trade Programme, we work hand-in-hand with displaced people, returnees, and host communities to equip them with the skills, tools, and opportunities they need to rebuild their lives— whether in their host countries or countries of origin. 

Our work is trade-based, inclusive, and collaborative. We partner with international organizations, civil society, and the private sector to make the humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus work in practice.  We support the UN Global Compact for Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees, by focusing our programmes on local market realities. We place particular focus on women and youth, whose leadership is essential to building inclusive and sustainable economies.

Through targeted programming, we focus on three key areas: 

1. Supporting the economic and market participation of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in host countries and communities;
2. Facilitating the sustainable reintegration of returnees; and
3. Utilizing trade and development to foster peaceful and stable environments in the countries of origin of conflicts, contributing to minimizing displacement and vulnerable migration.  

Across all areas, we prioritize market relevance, partnerships, and the empowerment of women and youth.   

Creating opportunities for displaced communities 

Forced displacement may disrupt lives – but it does not erase talent, ambition or the drive to rebuild. From the first workshop to the first sale, our support connects displaced people to the skills, markets, and financing they need to generate real income. 

We assist refugees and IDPs to turn practical training — from basket weaving and tailoring to coding, the agriculture value chain, business planning, and digital entrepreneurship — into sustainable livelihoods. Our support is grounded in market insights, both locally and globally. 

But training is only the beginning. We work with refugees to access finance, build networks, and navigate real-world market systems, ensuring they can move from learning to earning. Whether in temporary shelters, settlements, or host communities, we create clear pathways to employment and entrepreneurship.  

By including host communities in every stage of our work, we help build stronger local economies and foster social cohesion — ensuring that economic integration benefits everyone, not just a few. 

Supporting the reintegration of voluntary returnees 

Returning home should be a new beginning – not the end of a journey. 

For many people who migrate in search of safety or opportunity, life in a host country can be marked by constant uncertainty. Without legal status or secure work, many remain on the margins — facing discrimination, insecurity, and limited prospects for building a future. On top of this, navigating complex bureaucratic systems can be a daily struggle — prolonging hardship, delaying decisions, and leaving people feeling invisible within the very structures meant to support them. Similar for people who are internally displaced.  

Yet returning home is no simple solution. For migrants, it can feel like giving up on a dream. For IDPs, it feels like stepping back into uncertainty and loss. Many return to communities they left behind years ago, where opportunities remain scarce and expectations are high. Migrants often fear being perceived as having 'failed abroad', while IDPs struggle with the reality of returning to the same instability they once fled. For both parties, the emotional weight of going back is deepened. 

This is where ITC brings its strength — applying our expertise in trade and entrepreneurship to help returnees reintegrate with purpose and build dignified, sustainable livelihoods at home. 

We equip returnees, business coaches, and migration stakeholders with the tools they need to turn return into opportunity. Our expertise includes: 

• Conducting sector studies and ecosystem mappings to identify local demand for jobs and start-ups, and to strengthen support systems that enable entrepreneurship
• Offering one-on-one business coaching to guide returnees in launching and sustaining small enterprises
• Developing tailored training curricula and local market insights for business coaches in both host and origin countries, so they can deliver relevant, responsive support 

Our goal is to ensure that returnees have the confidence, support, and resources to earn a real income — and to see opportunities where they once saw none. 

Using trade and development to foster peace 

In conflict-afflicted areas, young people often face the harsh reality of poverty and limited employment opportunities, forcing them to flee their homes in search of safety, stability and a better future. While fleeing, many are driven to irregular and vulnerable migration 

Being forcibly displaced puts individuals in a very vulnerable state: It not only disrupts their lives, but also drains communities of their youth, skills and workforce. Similarly, vulnerable migrants are at risk of exploitation, abuse, and trafficking, as they may not have the resources or support to migrate safely. 

To address the root causes of vulnerable migration and enhance stability in regions affected by conflict, we leverage our trade and development expertise as tools to create peaceful and stable environments in regions affected by conflict. By strengthening local economies, supporting entrepreneurship and connecting people to local and international markets, we help communities rebuild, restore livelihoods, and demonstrate that opportunity can exist — and thrive — at home or in their host communities. 

In countries where we operate, we support communities to: 

Partner with us to build opportunity from displacement 

Whether you are part of an employer association, foundation, local institution, or international agency, you can work with us to expand displaced communities’ and returnees’ access to dignified livelihoods. 

For more information on how to partner with us, please contact: bbeuchel [at] intracen.org (bbeuchel[at]intracen[dot]org)