The World Bank’s Managing Director of Operations, Anna Bjerde, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, will conduct a joint visit to Chad from September 6–8, 2023 to see firsthand the scale of the influx of refugees fleeing the Sudan crisis to Chad and to strengthen the response on the ground.

With just over one million registered refugees, Chad is the fifth largest refugee-hosting country in the world per capita. The crisis in neighboring Sudan is contributing to the significant increase in forced displacement to Chad, with 400,000 new arrivals registered since April 15, 2023, the day on which the conflict in Sudan began.

As part of the immediate response, the World Bank, the government, and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) are working in partnership to provide economic support to refugee households and host communities through emergency cash transfers and are facilitating access to education and health services under the Refugees and Host Communities Support Project (PARCA), which has already helped 70,000 families. In addition, UNHCR has relocated 43% of spontaneous refugees from the border areas to existing or newly established camps.

Ms. Bjerde and Mr. Grandi will visit refugee camps in the country’s eastern region to engage with displaced populations and host communities in an effort to strengthen the coordination and the response of the World Bank, UNHCR, and other development partners to the crisis.

They will also meet with Chadian authorities, key stakeholders, and development partners and will be accompanied by their delegations. Strategic actions needed to strengthen coordination and support to refugees and host communities in the country’s eastern region, as well as to bridge the humanitarian-development nexus, will also be discussed during the mission.