Migration governance can be defined as policies, laws or frameworks, to govern foreign nationals. As of March 2023, over 117 million people have become forcibly displaced. Over 69% of refugees are hosted in their neighbouring countries, which are oftentimes low- or middle-income. Many of these countries do not have measures to govern foreign nationals which leaves them unprotected and vulnerable.
Without migration governance, displaced persons are stuck in limbo. They are often left in protracted refugee situations which can average 20 years or more. This means that displaced persons are unable to integrate into their hosts’ economy and can be subjected to strict encampment policies, arbitrary arrests and detention, harassment and discrimination, human trafficking, abuses in many forms, and so much more.
Refugee situations are unique because they do not fall under typical aid criteria. Notably, aid can be understood as humanitarian programming which supports natural disasters such as floods, or development programming which supports economic opportunities such as livelihood training. Refugees thereby fall between the cracks.
Historically, refugee situations have been funded through the humanitarian aid model. This has been coupled with qualifying for durable solutions which can be understood as being integrated into the host country, returning to their country of origin when/if it becomes safe, or being repatriated to a third country if the other two solutions are unviable. Yet as the refugee crisis has intensified, less than 4% of refugees are qualified to benefit from one of the three solutions.
Both refugee populations and host countries rely on international donors to support the vulnerable population. Donors however are reaching a peak and are becoming fatigued to provide ongoing aid for protracted refugee situations, and would prefer to prioritize sudden onset natural disasters, such as the earthquakes in Syria.
In recent years, the refugee crisis has become insurmountable. Ongoing and newly developed conflicts, poverty, inequality, discrimination, poor governance, lack of resources, environmental degradation, food insecurity among others are the main drivers of displacement. UNHCR[1] reported the number of people displaced has more than doubled as compared to a decade ago.
So, if the number of people being forcibly displaced is growing year to year, how should the international community react?
This became the focus in 2015 at the outset of the Syrian migration crisis. As Syrians fled their war-torn country and set sail to Europe, European leaders recognized their inability to extend infinite resources to the global demand. The answer then became socio-economic inclusion for displaced persons. In 2016, world leaders convened in New York to host the New York Declaration (NYD). The NYD birthed the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) which established a set of commitments to enhance the protection of refugees and migrants. The CRRF has four key objectives:
1. Ease pressure on host countries
2. Enhance refugee self-reliance
3. Expand access to third-country solutions and
4. Support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity
Self-reliance counteracts the claim that refugee populations are a burden and is an important part of understanding how to approach the refugee situation in the future. Self-reliance can be defined as the “social and economic ability of an individual, a household or a community to meet essential needs (including protection, food, water, shelter, personal safety, health and education) in a sustainable manner and with dignity. Achieving self-reliance enables refugees to participate in the social and economic life of their host communities and contribute to rebuilding their countries should they be able to return home”[2],[3].
Ultimately, self-reliance will end aid-dependency, which can be achieved through creating, strengthening and implementing migration governance. This will protect refugees’ rights, integrate them into the economy, increase the host country’s GDP and benefit all of us globally.
For more information about migration governance, check out the Migration Data Portal to see which countries have some form of policy, program or structure to manage migration.
[1] UNHCR (2022) Global Trends. https://www.unhcr.org/globaltrends.html#:~:text=Global%20Trends%202021-,Refugees,million%2C%20during%20the%20same%20period.
[2]UNHCR. Why Self-Reliance. https://www.unhcr.org/44bf3e252.pdf
[3]Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative (2021). Refugee Self-Reliance and the Global Compact on Refugees: Unpacking Barriers and Opportunities for Success. https://globalrightsdefenders.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/9d227-srcivilsocietyreport_dec21.pdf
[4] For refugees to be return home; legally settle in host country; or resettle in a third country
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