Refugee Response Plans

What is an RRP?

A Refugee Response Plan (RRP) is an inter-agency planning, coordination and fundraising tool that supports host governments in providing protection and assistance to refugees, the communities hosting them and other relevant population groups in large and complex emergencies through international solidarity. Refugee Coordination Model is designed to assist UNHCR and partners to operationalize the response plans and reflects UNHCR’s facilitation and convening role, as set out in its mandate and the Global Compact on Refugees.

RRPs build on approaches and capacities of host governments, engaging a diverse range of actors ^[1] including refugees and host communities. The comprehensive and sector-specific response strategies, inter-agency strategic objectives and activities detailed in an RRP aim to deliver protection and multisectoral assistance. These plans also emphasize enhancing refugees' self-reliance and resilience and prioritize planning for and facilitating solutions from the onset of an emergency. This requires early collaboration with development partners, through engagement with Resident Coordinators and the UN development system, to strengthen collective advocacy and support for the inclusion of refugees in national development plans, systems and labor markets. RRPs may contribute to strengthening and supporting national structures, depending on the specific context of the displacement situation and where conditions allow.

An RRP is grounded in the findings and evidence from needs assessments and protection monitoring initiatives. The process to create an RRP is managed through the in-country inter-agency coordination structure. RRPs have been created to address different types of refugee crises, including new emergencies and protracted situations. They can also facilitate the transition from short-term plans to medium- or long-term resilience-focused plans. RRPs can be developed at the country level or take a regional approach.

[1] Including UN agencies, international NGOs, local NGOs, refugee-led organizations, sports organizations, development entities, and private sector actors, among others.

2025 RRP Guidance Note

Regional RRPs

Regional Refugee Response Plans (Regional RRPs) are developed at the regional level under the leadership of a Regional Refugee Coordinator, or the Director of the relevant Regional Bureau. Regional RRPs consist of an overarching regional overview and several country chapters summarizing the inter-agency response related to a specific refugee situation/population at the country level.

As of mid-2024, UNHCR coordinates seven Regional RRPs, including for mixed movements, supporting inter-agency responses in 51 refugee-hosting countries. These cover the needs of refugees fleeing from Afghanistan, DRC, South Sudan, Sudan and Ukraine as well as include the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan in response to the Syria crisis (3RP), co-led with UNDP, and the Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP) for refugees and migrants from Venezuela, co-led with IOM.

Country RRPs

Country Refugee Response Plans (Country RRPs) reflect the needs of all refugee populations (i.e. refugees of different nationalities) hosted in a country. In emergency situations a Country RRP can also be developed targeting one refugee population or covering a specific geographic area reflecting the context and response to the new emergency. These are developed and coordinated under the leadership of the Country Refugee Coordinator (usually the UNHCR Representative) in close collaboration with host governments, where possible.

As of mid-2024, eight Country RRPs are ongoing for Algeria, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Rwanda, Sudan, and Uganda. In addition, UNHCR and IOM continue to co-lead the Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh.