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11. Expanding Protection Options? Flexible Approaches to Status for Displaced Syrians, Venezuelans, and Ukrainians

Author:
Andrew Selee, Susan Fratzke, Samuel Davidoff-Gore, and Luisa Feline Freier
Publication Date:
01-2024
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
Abstract:
Faced with displacement crises that have stretched asylum systems to their limits, countries have increasingly begun to use alternatives to traditional protection tools to provide displaced individuals with legal status and access to certain rights and forms of assistance. Often, the status offered is temporary and does not rely on adjudication of individual cases. While such approaches are not completely new, they have gained prominence through national responses to three of the largest displacement crises of the post-World War II era: displacement from Syria, Venezuela, and Ukraine. The principal host governments in these three crises—Turkey, various South American countries, and EU Member States—chose to provide legal status to millions of protection seekers by using existing immigration policies or new temporary statuses, rather than refugee or asylum systems. This report—part of the Beyond Territorial Asylum: Making Protection Work in a Bordered World initiative led by MPI and the Robert Bosch Stiftung—examines each of these three cases, identifying similarities in the approaches taken to offering protection while recognizing the differences between the cases. The study explores the factors underpinning government decisions and their medium- to long-term implications, concluding with thoughts on what can be learned for future international displacement crises.
Topic:
Governance, Refugees, Displacement, Asylum, Integration, and Protection
Political Geography:
Ukraine, Syria, and Venezuela

12. When the Earth Loses its Stewards

Author:
Alexia Gardner and Alex Reep
Publication Date:
04-2024
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
Abstract:
More than 1 million Colombians have been forced to flee their territories since the 2016 peace accords. As extractive industries and armed groups capitalize on displacement, biodiversity suffers.
Topic:
Treaties and Agreements, Armed Forces, Displacement, Biodiversity, and Extractive Industries
Political Geography:
Colombia, South America, and Latin America

13. UNRWA After October 7: Building a Comprehensive Response Framework for Palestinian Refugees

Author:
Lex Takkenberg
Publication Date:
07-2024
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Cairo Review of Global Affairs
Institution:
School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, American University in Cairo
Abstract:
UNRWA’s future cannot be considered in isolation—a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder approach, with displacement issues at its center, is now necessary.
Topic:
Refugees, Displacement, October 7, 2023 Gaza War, and United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Political Geography:
Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

14. Climate-related losses and damages to social cohesion are overlooked

Author:
Lily Salloum Lindegaard and Francis Jarawura
Publication Date:
06-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
Abstract:
Climate change and related impacts – like forced migration and displacement – affect the social cohesion that is crucial for communities to function and thrive. Yet blind spots and misconceptions may misdirect response efforts.
Topic:
Climate Change, Displacement, Social Cohesion, and Forced Migration
Political Geography:
Africa, Ghana, and Niger

15. Tipping the Scales: Towards a People-Centered Justice Approach to Resilience in Fragile Contexts

Author:
Jonathan Papoulidis, Swati Mehta, and Nate Edwards
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Center on International Cooperation (CIC)
Abstract:
Once synonymous with food security, resilience has undergone a quiet revolution over the last decade, shifting from a sector silo to an emerging paradigm of engagement for donors and multilateral institutions. This paper traces the evolution and importance of this emerging resilience paradigm and the simultaneous rise of people-centered approaches to justice (PCJ). It argues that PCJ is a vital but missing element of the new resilience paradigm and key to its success. The paper proposes a conceptual framework for a PCJ approach to resilience and offers a few illustrative examples of how the framework might be applied to fragile contexts and beyond. The examples used are not prescriptive, but rather intend to offer grounding to what is otherwise a largely conceptual framework. The application of the framework will require additional resources, on-the-ground research, and comprehensive analysis. Ultimately, the paper argues that humanitarians, peacebuilders, resilience experts, and justice actors must work together to tip the scales of justice in favor of people’s resilience in fragile contexts.
Topic:
Displacement, Justice, and Resilience
Political Geography:
Global Focus

16. Beyond Access: Refugees’ Rights and Justice at Work

Author:
Emily E. Arnold-Fernández
Publication Date:
05-2024
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Center on International Cooperation (CIC)
Abstract:
Work plays a central role in the lives of refugees. When work is just, it offers economic power, personal agency, and often a sense of meaning, purpose, or even identity. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognize the importance of justice in relation to work. Goals 8 (decent work and inclusive economic growth) and 10 (reduced inequality) are only possible when work is just. Too often today, however, refugees have access to work only in conditions of grave injustice. Wage theft, sexual assault, and other workplace violations are common. Restrictions on refugees’ access to authorized work push them into informal, unregulated employment where justice is inaccessible. These problems show us that, to achieve SDGs 8 and 10 for refugees, we must also achieve SDG16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all. This paper aims to lay a common foundation for solutions to the justice problems refugees face in the labor market and also supports the thesis that ensuring access to justice in the workplace for refugees can facilitate mutual gains, uphold human rights, and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Agenda.
Topic:
Refugees, Displacement, Justice, Humanitarian Crisis, and Work
Political Geography:
Global Focus

17. A New Era in Iraq’s Relations with the West?

Author:
Selin Uysal and Devorah Margolin
Publication Date:
06-2024
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Abstract:
Amid growing pressure to dissolve the coalition and withdraw troops, the United States and its partners should continue pursuing good relations with Baghdad—but this time with a lighter footprint and increased regional cooperation. At Baghdad’s request, the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) has been ordered to cease operations in December 2025, following a previous decision to shut down the UN team charged with investigating the Islamic State’s crimes in Iraq (UNITAD). Meanwhile, Baghdad plans to close the country’s remaining camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), first opened at the height of the war against IS. More broadly, it seeks to normalize its diplomatic activism in the region, which recently included mediating rapprochement talks between Turkey and the Syrian regime. Despite the international support and military cooperation that have defined Western relations with Iraq in the post-Saddam era, Baghdad has begun to reevaluate longstanding arrangements. Washington and its partners should follow suit, scrutinizing the current basis of relations with Iraq amid changes in the local and regional environment, while simultaneously preserving the relationship's most beneficial aspects.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Bilateral Relations, Displacement, and Interstate Cooperation
Political Geography:
Iraq and Middle East

18. How Donors Can Better Support Urban Refugees in Kampala and Nairobi

Author:
Johnstone Kotut, Anneleen Vos, Helen Dempster, and Harrison Tang
Publication Date:
03-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
The majority of refugees worldwide live in urban areas. It is often assumed that these urban-based refugees are self-reliant, and therefore no longer require external support. This paper challenges this assumption by reviewing secondary literature on the experience of 136,887 refugees who live in Kampala, Uganda and the 96,348 refugees who live in Nairobi, Kenya. It identifies three distinct challenges that these urban-based refugees face compared to their camp- and settlement-based peers: access to essential services without recognised documentation, access to decent housing, and access to social and professional networks. It then reviews whether and how the largest bilateral and multilateral donors in Uganda and Kenya support urban-based refugees, and concludes by offering recommendations for those donors interested in expanding their support. While this paper and its recommendations have specific relevance for those urban-based refugees in Kampala and Nairobi, they have broader relevance to urban refugee populations in all low- and middle-income countries.
Topic:
Migration, Refugees, Displacement, and Donors
Political Geography:
Uganda, Kenya, and Africa

19. Displacement as a Development Issue: Enabling Public Policy to Unlock Climate Finance in Asia and the Pacific

Author:
Steven Goldfinch
Publication Date:
07-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Abstract:
Internal displacement in the context of climate change and disasters is now recognized as a development issue with humanitarian consequences. As countries gain a greater understanding of the underlying drivers of displacement, and the corrosive effect it has on development outcomes, re-positioning public policy will be critical in prevention and solutions. To implement these responses, greater volumes of development financing is required. In the absence of dedicated instruments or resources to respond to displacement, utilizing existing sources of development finance, including climate adaptation finance, offers an important stream. This paper looks at the current public policy approaches to displacement across Asia and the Pacific, provides insights into selected country approaches, and explores the role of existing development finance, including the role of climate financial intermediary funds, in reducing the drivers of displacement.
Topic:
Climate Change, Development, Displacement, and Public Policy
Political Geography:
Asia-Pacific

20. After the Agreement: Implementing Remedy for Displacement in Northern Haiti

Author:
Scott Freeman, Lani Inverarity, and Megan Pearson
Publication Date:
09-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Accountability Research Center (ARC), American University
Abstract:
In January 2011, more than 400 families in northeast Haiti were evicted from their agricultural land to make way for the Caracol Industrial Park (CIP), a large industrial textile facility principally financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the US government. This Accountability Note chronicles the Haitian families’ remarkable path to pursuing remedy for their displacement. Against all odds, they organized, sought international support for their case, and, using the independent accountability mechanism (IAM) of the IDB, ultimately negotiated an agreement with the IDB and the Haitian government to restore their livelihoods. But their struggle did not end there. Much of the fight for remedy occurred after signing the agreement—a reality often under-acknowledged by accountability advocates. Support from local and international advocates has been critical to getting even partial implementation of the agreement. From the outset, the Haitian families’ chances of success were slim: few IAMs have the capacity or mandate to facilitate any remedy. Moreover, the Caracol case represents an extremely rare instance where a displaced community has successfully used an IAM to negotiate for replacement land. Still, for many families, delays in receiving remedy lasted for years, increasing suffering and exacerbating the economic and social losses that come with losing land. Monitoring and advocacy have been necessary for the six years following the signing of the agreement. Because of that, many of the families eventually received some compensation—including (for some) land. Although reaching an agreement to address harm is often the goal of an accountability mechanism process, this Note highlights the struggle that unfolds after the agreement is signed. Ensuring that remedy is actually delivered requires continual vigilance and advocacy. The Note provides key lessons for communities and advocates hoping to secure remedy through dispute resolution at IAMs: Lesson 1: A signed agreement for remedy is not the end of the process, but the beginning of another struggle. Lesson 2: Monitoring and continued advocacy are critical to getting remedy agreements implemented. Lesson 3: Remedy agreements must account for the possibility of challenges to implementation Even though Haiti presents a challenging political and economic environment in which to implement a remedy agreement, the lessons of this case are not unique to Haiti. As development banks increasingly operate in contexts of fragility and crisis, similar hurdles to remediation are likely to occur elsewhere.
Topic:
Displacement, Accountability, and Land Rights
Political Geography:
Caribbean and Haiti