The Global Refugee Network - a new platform to scale technology across the humanitarian sector

Highlights:

Open Pathway Collective (OPC) today launched the Global Refugee Network (GRN), the first digital infrastructure built to connect displaced people with the full ecosystem of organisations that can support them.
The platform is opt-in and visa-agnostic. Refugees control which providers can access their profile, and anyone affected by displacement can register regardless of location or status.
By specialising in shared software infrastructure, OPC enables humanitarian partners to focus on frontline service delivery while platform costs are spread across the sector.

Open Pathway Collective (OPC), a new nonprofit software engineering organisation, today announced the launch of the Global Refugee Network (GRN). The platform is the first digital infrastructure designed to connect displaced people with the full ecosystem of organisations that can support them.

The global refugee population is growing, but the systems designed to support it are not keeping pace. Today's humanitarian sector is characterised by siloed case management systems, limited data sharing, and service-specific solutions that have no shared infrastructure. The result is duplicated effort, high costs per outcome, and missed opportunities for the people who need support most. OPC was founded to provide the missing digital architecture.

A proven foundation, now expanded

“The escalating global refugee crisis requires solutions that can scale," said Andrew Walsh, CEO of Open Pathway Collective. "OPC exists to connect refugees with the organisations that can support them, wherever they are on their journey. By specialising in the technology to make this happen, we allow partners to specialise in the impact on the ground."

GRN is built on the open-source Talent Catalog software, originally developed by Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) and the Cameron Foundation, which has spent a decade proving that technology can connect qualified refugees with employment opportunities worldwide. With more than 150,000 individuals registered, it is the largest single platform of refugee skills, qualifications, and experience.

OPC is now expanding that foundation beyond employment to serve the full refugee journey, from displacement and training through to settlement, career development, and long-term self-reliance. TBB will continue to operate the Talent Catalog for its core labour mobility mission.

The platform connecting the ecosystem

GRN operates as a connected network. Refugees can self-register from anywhere while on mobile, and create profiles detailing their skills, qualifications, experience, and aspirations. No information is shared with any service provider without the individual's explicit consent, and every access request creates a secure electronic audit trail.

For service providers, GRN provides access via API and an admin portal to discover and connect with individuals whose profiles match their programmes. By aligning all providers around the individual, the platform ensures that choices for refugees are never artificially restricted.

The platform is also visa-agnostic, allowing anyone to register regardless of location or visa status, including people at risk of displacement, those in camps, and those already resettled who need ongoing support.

Technology acts as a multiplier

The humanitarian sector is under acute funding pressure. By focusing exclusively on software engineering and shared digital infrastructure, OPC allows partner organisations to concentrate entirely on their frontline missions while platform costs are shared.

The Global Refugee Network is live and accepting registrations.