This paper, prepared by the secretariat of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), reviews progress made in strengthening statistics on refugees and internally displaced persons in Arab countries, along with the gaps and challenges hindering such efforts, ahead of the 17th meeting of the ESCWA Statistical Committee. It offers proposals to address these issues, drawing on the findings of a regional survey conducted by ESCWA in 2023 and updated in 2026 on member States’ practices in collecting and disseminating these statistics, as well as on discussions held at an EGRISS co-organized workshop in Cairo in November 2024.
The paper emphasizes the importance of leveraging international recommendations, fostering coordination among national statistical offices, government bodies, and international organizations, and achieving greater integration of data sources. It proposes a regional framework to support capacity-building, the exchange of expertise, and improved data source integration, while highlighting the role of ESCWA and other relevant international organizations in providing technical support and developing regional frameworks. The paper concludes with practical recommendations to enhance statistical work in this field.
