The Future of Refugee Livelihoods Programming: Lessons From the Jordan Compact

Livelihoods have been a central element of the humanitarian response to the Syria crisis. This was especially the case in Jordan, with the Jordan Compact promising hundreds of thousands of jobs for Syrians, and development opportunities for their hosts. In this commentary, we highlight three broader lessons from the scheme, the results of which were disappointing for many Syrians. Livelihoods interventions must ensure that indicators of success are linked to tangible changes in refugees' lives; that refugees' integration into national systems is done cautiously, in ways adapted to their circumstances and priorities; and that much more attention is paid to the gendered, racialised and classed nature of labour market dynamics. In order to achieve these goals, refugees' experiences and aspirations as labour market participants, and their own assessments of whether and how their lives have improved, must be at the heart of future programme design, implementation and evaluation.