• Initiative targets full connectivity in major host countries by 2030
• $220M funding goal set to close digital divide and support services

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) are expanding their partnership with authorities in Chad and other major refugee-hosting countries to bring digital connectivity to millions of displaced people and nearby communities by 2030.

During a two-day joint mission to Chad last week, ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation Chairman John Giusti, and UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T. Clements saw how digital access is improving daily life for vulnerable populations. Sudanese refugees and Chadian nationals are using mobile tools to reach education, financial services, and healthcare, the ITU said in a statement.

Connectivity as a Lifeline

“In Chad, we saw firsthand how connectivity can restore dignity and hope to displaced people and host communities,” Bogdan-Martin said. “The Refugee Connectivity Initiative is opening doors to digital opportunity in places where Internet access is a lifeline, not a luxury. Now more than ever, we must act and extend that lifeline so no one is left behind.”

Chad, despite limited resources, currently hosts 1.5 million forcibly displaced people, including refugees fleeing conflict in Sudan and others from the Central African Republic and Cameroon, the statement noted.

Global Initiative and Funding Targets

The Refugee Connectivity Initiative, launched at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, seeks to mobilize funding to ensure that all major refugee-hosting countries achieve affordable Internet access by 2030. It has since become an active public-private partnership operating in Chad, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mauritania, Egypt and Rwanda. Each program is adapted to local conditions, with a focus on expanding digital access to the most underserved communities.

UNHCR is urging governments, companies and development actors to support the scale-up of this work. That includes expanding infrastructure, improving service availability and removing regulatory barriers that prevent displaced people from obtaining individual connectivity. To advance these goals, the initiative aims to raise at least 20 million dollars in core support, and a minimum of 200 million dollars in direct investment and contributions.

The effort is driven by the scale of the global digital divide. ITU estimates that in 2024, about 2.6 billion people, or one-third of the world’s population, remain offline. Lack of connectivity is associated with poorer health, shorter life expectancy, social isolation, and reduced access to education and employment. Improving digital access opens opportunities for learning and livelihoods and supports humanitarian operations as agencies increasingly move toward digital service delivery.