Initial experiences in the implementation of the GCR were also discussed at the Global Refugee Forum, which took place in Geneva in December 2019. In addition to civil society groups, regional and local governments and administrations play an important role in the successful implementation of sustainable refugee policy. They are responsible for the provision of vital services and the integration of refugees into the labour market and the education system. Although more refugee representatives were invited to the forum than ever before, local perspectives on how to deal with migration were still under-represented in the forum programme. This reflects a more general problem, which is that even now, not enough consideration is given to local experiences in global policy forums.
Key Role of Cities in Situations of Displacement
Contrary to the popular belief that refugees stay mainly in camps, cities and municipalities represent key destinations. Many cities, especially in Europe and North America, have become involved in refugee policy in recent years, such as in Italy in early 2019, when mayors took a stand against the restrictive immigration policies of former Interior Minister Salvini. In Germany, over 120 small and large ‘safe harbour’ municipalities promote a faster and more simplified intake of refugees rescued from distress at sea since 2018. This notwithstanding, local administrations and populations often feel overwhelmed by the expectation that they will integrate refugees, or are opposed to doing so. This is why local authorities, services and private companies are now increasingly acting as controllers of migration – for instance, by allowing access to medical services or childcare only after determining an individual’s immigration status.
When it comes to refugees, global policy pays very little attention to the cities and communities of the Global South. They are particularly affected because a large part of refugee movements take place between neighbouring countries, most of them in the Global South. According to the UNHCR, more than 80 per cent of refugees remain in the countries of the Global South. A study conducted by the World Bank in November 2019 reported that more than 4.6 million people fled Venezuela between 2016 and 2018, most of them to neighbouring countries. They stay mainly in urban areas, such as the Lima-El Callao district in Peru. The authors of the World Bank study claim that the main obstacles to the sustainable integration of refugees are xenophobic myths and reservations. The study concludes that urgent measures must be taken in order to convince the local population and decision-makers of the benefits for the local labour market.
Kenya: Pilot Country for the Global Compact on Refugees
Convincing people of the benefits of integration in line with a global blueprint is, however, not enough. The local conditions are too varied. Accordingly, the interests of local actors must be taken into account consistently when making and implementing policy, without prejudice to the outcome. This was also demonstrated by research of the German Development Institute (DIE) and the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) on the local implementation of the refugee compact in Kenya. The majority of the refugees in Kenya (nearly 500,000 people) stay in one of two large refugee camps in Kakuma and Dadaab, in the arid northwest or northeast of the country. Similar to other countries in the region, they are geographically isolated and have no access to national labour markets, social services or the possibility of interaction with the host society. As a pilot country of the Global Compact on Refugees, the Kenyan government has committed to easing the previously strict camp policy, which had been marked by security concerns. The aim is to support the self-reliance and social integration of the refugees.
A core measure for this is the development of Kalobeyei, an integrated pilot settlement in the immediate vicinity of the Kakuma refugee camp. The settlement is based on an idea initiated by the local government of Turkana in 2014. The decentralisation that took place in the wake of the constitutional reform in Kenya in 2010 had expanded the scope of action for local actors in the development planning, which had previously been in the hands of the central government. The local government had recognised the potential of refugees, with their partly higher educational level and agricultural skills, for local development. In addition, it viewed the presence of international humanitarian and development organisations as a benefit for the local economy, even beyond the borders of the Kalobeyei settlement. There is a debate among the locals as to whether the land it has provided for the development of the Kalobeyei settlement is only leased to the newcomers for the short term or permanently assigned to them. But they are also committed to ensuring that everyone can benefit from the development.
Kalobeyei has seen relative success so far in Kenya, a country with a restrictive migration policy. The settlement plan provides for the joint use of the market, agricultural land and social facilities by the loc
als and the refugees. Nearby in Kakuma camp, contact between the local ethnic Turkana and the refugees is limited to the sale or exchange of firewood, charcoal or other goods. In the Kalobeyei settlement, on the other hand, group discussions revealed that the locals feel entitled to accommodation, school attendance or jobs from national and international aid organisations.
The example of Kalobeyei shows that the successful implementation of global refugee policy depends largely on the perceptions and interests of local actors. Therefore, in order to give more weight to local voices, cities, municipalities and local civil societies need to be more deeply involved in the global political discourse and processes. Development policy can support this by promoting an exchange of experiences between local communities from the Global South and North. At the local level, firstly, territorial approaches based on context-specific opportunities and challenges can be recommended; secondly, measures such as participatory settlement, land use and infrastructure planning, which are planned and implemented in a dialogue; and thirdly, capacity building, which supports municipal administrations in managing integration and providing local services.
About the Authors:
Eva Dick is a Senior Researcher at the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) and works on migration, flight and urban development.
Markus Rudolf is a Researcher at the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) and works on conflicts, flight and expulsion.
Studien/ Studies
Dick, Eva & Rudolf, Markus. From global refugee norms to local realities: implementing the global compact on refugees in Kenya. Eva Dick / Markus Rudolf. Briefing Paper 19/2019 – German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)