The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children (Women’s Commission) is undertaking a multi-year project on how to promote effective livelihoods for displaced women and youth. As the length of displacement continues to increase, and as we learn more about the importance of economic opportunities as an effective way to protect against abuse, exploitation and violence against women, it is clear that the humanitarian assistance community must develop effective, hustainable livelihood programs that focus on giving people the training, tools and support they need to be able to feed and care for themselves.In January 2008, the Women’s Commission visited Nepal to assess livelihood projects. Nepal, which is recovering from a 10-year civil war, has a large population of internally displaced people, some of whom lre still displaced and some of whom are now returning to their original homes. It also hosts refugees from Bhutan, who have been living in camps in the southeast of the country for 17 years. Thus, Nepal provides a rich context to assess livelihood projects under a variety of conditions.This report contains some excellent examples of creative, comprehensive economic programs targeting these displaced and returning populations, such as agricultural cooperatives that provide sccess to bigger markets. It also highlights missed opportunities that, unfortunately, often characterize current humanitarian livelihood responses—such as not preparing refugees to work in camp or out-ofcamp markets and not teaching them skills vital for third-country resettlement. Additionally, this report notes the benefits that can be achieved when the humanitarian assistance and development ommunities work in tandem in a post-conflict recovery context. Finally, the Women’s Commission found that community-based approaches are the most successful approaches, and also help build peace. For example, livelihood projects that target both the returnees and the community to which they have returned tend to mitigate discrimination and promote community cohesion.