May

7

2026

VIRTUAL

9:30—10:45 AM ET | 2:30—3:45 PM BST

Virtual

EVENTS | CGD TALKS

Refugee Support That Works? The World Bank’s Window for Host Communities and Refugees’ Successes and Challenges

Presenters

Thomas Ginn, Research Fellow, CGD

Helen Dempster, Policy Fellow and Programme Co-Director, Migration and Displacement, CGD

Speakers

Abdullahi Halakhe, Senior Advocate for East and Southern Africa, Refugees International 

Xavier Devictor, Adviser, Fragility, Conflict, and Violence Group, World Bank Group

Ndeye Marie Cisse, Senior Partnerships Officer, Sustainable Responses Service, UNHCR

Chris Bold, Deputy Director, International Financial Institutions Department, FCDO

Moderator

Helen Dempster, Policy Fellow and Programme Co-Director, Migration and Displacement, CGD

Submit your questions for speakers via Slido.

Since 2017, the World Bank’s IDA Window for Host Communities and Refugees (WHR) has committed $5.5 billion to support low- and middle-income countries hosting refugees—shifting the focus from short-term humanitarian aid to longer-term economic integration.

Drawing on new CGD research covering 100 WHR-funded projects, this event will assess what the WHR has achieved over its first eight years, where it is delivering value, and how its design can be strengthened to maximise impact for both refugees and host communities.