Most countries do not take a fair share of refugees – here’s how we could incentivise them
Retrieved on:
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
More than 70 years later, the world is more connected and the nature of migration and asylum has changed.
Key Points:
- More than 70 years later, the world is more connected and the nature of migration and asylum has changed.
- UK home secretary James Cleverly (as well as his predecessor Suella Braverman) has suggested that such migration treaties are no longer fit for purpose.
- Cleverly did not mention that this proportion has been surprisingly stable over the past 60 years.
- Today, 70% of refugees are hosted in countries neighbouring where the people flee from.
- While a few countries take most of the responsibility for refugees, many others shun cooperation.
Political challenges
- Scholars have long explored the possibility of a legally binding mechanism to ensure that refugee protection is responsibly shared.
- But such a system seems impossible in the current political climate.
- The US, Australia and Italy all failed to endorse recent, non-binding, international agreements on responsibility-sharing for migration and refugee protection.
- Despite this political difficulty, there could be ways to incentivise states to take more responsibility, without a legally binding system.
From safety to integration
- More work needs to be done in host countries to help refugees integrate and avoid marginalisation and discrimination.
- This could be through cultural exchanges between citizens and refugees, such as sport, cooking or language classes.
Matilde Rosina does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.