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Humanitarian systems have become more structured and coordinated over the past decade. Yet for many people affected by conflict, accessing available support remains complex and uneven. This article explores the “coordination paradox”: how improved coordination among organisations does not necessarily translate into accessible pathways for individuals.

Anna Kuznetsova is co-founder of ERIDA, an AI-powered, evidence-based platform for refugee integration in Switzerland. Drawing on experience across humanitarian and development contexts, she argues that addressing the navigation gap between available services and people’s ability to effectively find and access them is essential to ensuring that humanitarian systems remain both effective and impartial.

Interview held by Anna Kuznetsova, an alumna of the Diplomacy, Negotiation and Policy Programme, with Adrian Gerber on 10 December 2024

Anna Kuznetsova, an experienced professional in international development and partnership building of Ukrainian origin, recently had the opportunity to engage with Adrian Gerber, a delegate for labour market integration in Switzerland. With a background in coordinating Switzerland’s foreign policy on migration and years of experience at the State Secretariat for Migration, Adrian Gerber is now focused on facilitating the integration of Ukrainian refugees into the Swiss labour market. His role is critical in addressing the hurdles many refugees face in transitioning from social aid to meaningful employment.

In this policy paper, Anna Kuznetsova, a participant in the Diplomacy, Negotiation and Policy Executive Diploma, analyses the effectiveness of the Swiss labour market and support systems in integrating Ukrainian refugees.

It identifies key barriers such as language difficulties, non-recognition of qualifications, and the temporary nature of Status S, which hinder long-term employment and integration. Despite significant efforts and budgets spent on housing, social assistance, and employment opportunities, many highly educated refugees work below their qualifications and are financially dependent on social aid.

In the past decade, the global refugee crisis has more than doubled. Between 2022 and 2023, several wars and armed conflicts have significantly contributed to the displacement of people worldwide. The main conflicts causing such displacement include the ongoing war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas armed conflict with its potential escalation to a broader Middle East region, continuing attacks and violence in Afghanistan, the Central Sahel (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso) and Haiti. We should also not overlook the impact of climate-related disasters on displacement, which, according to IDMC’s Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) in 2022, triggered a record 32.6 million internal displacements, primarily affecting diverse regions across Asia and Africa.

As of September 2023, more than 114 million people worldwide have been displaced due to conflict, persecution, and human rights violations. The 2023 Global Refugee Forum appeared to be the largest multistakeholder event in the world, attended by 168 governments and over 425 organisations. It concluded with several significant commitments aimed at supporting displaced people, including USD 2.2 billion from donors to provide financial help, sustain good practices and policies, and ensure strong refugee protection.