UNHCR’s 50 by 35 vision aims to enable at least half of all refugees in long-term displacement to move beyond aid dependency by 2035, through greater self-reliance and pathways to solutions. Delivering on this ambition requires reliable evidence over time on what is changing, what is working and where limited resources are most needed. Inclusion in national statistical systems is foundational to this agenda: when refugees are covered by national surveys, censuses and administrative data, they become visible alongside host populations in the data governments use for policy, planning and investment.

Over the past decade, the data landscape on forced displacement has changed significantly. More than 60 national statistical systems now include forcibly displaced populations, increasingly through nationally owned data collection rather than parallel exercises. Common standards developed through EGRISS and endorsed by Member States are improving comparability across countries, while initiatives such as UNHCR’s Forced Displacement Survey and the World Bank–UNHCR Joint Data Center are expanding the socioeconomic evidence available. This evidence is already shaping policy and investment: it contributed to Ethiopia’s 2024 directive on refugees’ right to work, is informing Peru’s National Migration Policy update, and has informed US$511 million in World Bank operations in Chad.

The event will bring together host countries, donors and partners to discuss how data and evidence are shaping implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees and the 50 by 35 ambition, and what is needed to strengthen their production, use and impact. Host-country experiences will anchor discussions on statistical inclusion, policy change and development investment, followed by a focus on national statistical capacity, institutionalisation through regional and global mechanisms, and targeted innovation. UNHCR will also launch its Refugee Data Portal, which for the first time brings together population statistics with quality-assured socioeconomic and protection indicators and will become a key platform for tracking progress towards 50 by 35.