Every day, families around the world are forced to leave their homes and search for safety and opportunity elsewhere. Some become refugees in a different country, others migrate to escape back-breaking poverty. Still others are displaced inside their own countries, a phenomenon that is driving much of the global displacement crisis.
Refugee crises can be complex and intractable. Often they are deeply entwined with civil and international conflict, in which case refugee protection and host state security objectives compete with each other. In addition, if host states are not prepared to respond effectively to refugee-related destabilization risks, refugee populations can alter demographic balances in ways that may trigger violence and new internal displacement.
People can be displaced for many reasons, including war, hunger and persecution for their gender or sexual orientation. However, two-thirds of the world’s displaced population remains within their borders. This is largely due to domestic conflict, though it also reflects weak governance and a distorted informal economy (including criminal networking) that limits opportunities for the displaced. Providing refugee communities with more freedom of movement, rights to work and access to education reduces tensions and improves economic prospects for all.
World leaders must put saving lives first and create a hospitable system of asylum and integration. This means revisiting tight regulations and removing bureaucratic constraints that hamper safe pathways to legal residency. It also requires putting aside schemes that exploit and commodify refugee groups for political and financial gains.