How to build refugee self-reliance during COVID-19
The pandemic has shown that when people can make use of their skills to find new ways to support themselves, the whole community benefits.
Amy Slaughter is the Senior Advisor for RefugePoint, founding co-chair of the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, and is on the steering committee of the Refugee Investment Network. With field operations in 20+ countries and headquarters in the U.S., RefugePoint works closely with UNHCR, governments, NGOs and refugee-led organizations to help improve global refugee policy and practice. Beginning with the conflicts in former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, Amy has devoted her career to refugee protection. She has held headquarters and field-based positions and consultancies for numerous refugee NGOs, UNHCR and IOM. She has worked on African, Balkan and Middle East refugee crises, has directed overseas refugee processing centers for the U.S. resettlement program, and has overseen reception and integration programs for refugees resettled throughout the U.S. Amy holds a master’s degree in human rights from Columbia University and a bachelor’s in English from the University of Florida. She has published articles on refugee protection in the Journal of Refugee Studies, Forced Migration Review, World Politics Review, and The Solutions Journal, among other publications. Amy was a recipient of the 2018 Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur Award. With RefugePoint since 2008, she previously held the positions of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer.