Centring forcibly displaced people in policymaking

Across the world, we are experiencing unprecedented levels of forcibly displaced people due to violent conflict, political persecution, resource insecurity and climate change. Based on the latest data from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), over 100 million people are currently forcibly displaced, and 10 million more are classified as stateless. These numbers and the worrisome trend pose significant policy, institutional and resource challenges for governments, civil society organisations and the international community.

Dealing with mass migration on an ad hoc basis inevitably leads to polarising political pressures that deter inclusive policymaking, further motivate nationalistic and anti-refugee sentiment, and ultimately are ineffective. Global challenges of this kind must be met with scalable solutions that rethink current systems. As we build toward a more agile and durable model, we must do so with a protection-first posture, and key to that effort is centring forcibly displaced populations’ (FDPs) ingenuity, skills and experiences.

Embracing the leadership of those with forced displacement backgrounds across policymaking circles is now, more than ever, mission-critical in addressing the multifaceted challenges of FDPs worldwide. More specifically, examples of participatory policymaking show that fostering a more inclusive process helps to capture diverse perspectives, ensures meaningful participation that leverages the unique capacities and intelligence of impacted communities, contributes to greater transparency around decision-making, and inevitably increases efficiency when implementing solutions.

Founding of the United States Refugee Advisory Board

Last year, Refugee Congress, Refugee Council USA (RCUSA), and Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of International Migration (ISIM) came together to launch the United States Refugee Advisory Board (USRAB), whose mission as a self-governing initiative is to ensure that forcibly displaced people have a meaningful and equitable role in influencing global policies. Combined, current advisors on the board have decades of experience in humanitarian protection, resettlement processes, administrative and legislative advocacy, and strategic communications.

As part of the onboarding process, advisors undertook a weeklong training course headed by Dr Elizabeth Ferris (Director of ISIM), covering various topics, including a comprehensive overview of the current global refugee system, governance mechanisms, durable solutions, externalisation, and simulation modules. This was followed up by a six-month process to establish by-laws, which yielded an executive governance structure and the inaugural election of USRAB’s Chair and two Deputy-Chairs. Establishing these structural components ensures the board is built with long-term sustainability in mind and strengthens internal accountability mechanisms for future advisor cohorts.

Parallel to the operational process above, USRAB also advanced critical discussions to serve as a trusted and formal mechanism for US-based refugees and forcibly displaced people to be meaningfully engaged in policy discussions at the global level. As a result of that effort, Basma Alawee (Co-Design Committee Member and USRAB Advisor) accompanied the official US delegation to the UNHCR Executive Committee, where she became the first refugee to share floor remarks at the invitation of Julieta Valls Noyes, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the US Department of State. Separately, Olga Morkova (Deputy-Chair) accompanied the US government delegation to the High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection Challenges – Development Cooperation Programme. More recently, Hourie Tafech (Advisor) was selected to join the US government delegation to the 2023 Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement. These indicators showcase the increasing confidence in USRAB as a formal advisory mechanism, and because of the values-driven leadership of the US government, it also signals to the world the critical importance of centring forcibly displaced people in global policymaking arenas.

Lastly, USRAB’s agenda and priorities must be directly informed by the needs and interests of forcibly displaced communities across the United States, including refugees, asylees, stateless individuals, etc. As such, the board is currently designing a national mechanism for identifying stakeholder groups through consultation with FDP-led initiatives and is developing a guide for gathering feedback regarding the issues most pressing for forcibly displaced populations. USRAB will then synthesise from these discussions the key challenges and solutions to share across policymaking arenas. Over time, USRAB will continue to provide regular opportunities for discussion and feedback to ensure its strategic priorities consistently represent the broader interests of those who have directly experienced forced displacement.

Implicit assumptions and structural barriers

It is worth noting that there remain assumptions and barriers surrounding the participation of forcibly displaced people in global policymaking arenas, and they should be recognised and addressed. These elements can stem from numerous factors and often hinder progress across the ecosystem.

Foremost, there remains an implicit perception of dependency across institutions, whereby forcibly displaced people are seen only as recipients of aid and assistance, as opposed to potentially becoming active contributors or decision-makers. This systemic perception can undermine the recognition of their leadership potential and their ability to shape policies that directly affect their lives. Separately, negative stereotypes may also perpetuate longstanding racial and ethnic biases, which creates prejudicial conditions that could lead to questioning the expertise of forcibly displaced people and hinders building toward more inclusionary decision-making processes.

More technically, language and cultural differences, as well as unfamiliarity with bureaucratic protocol, often impede effective participation and communication between forcibly displaced people and policymaking spaces. This is exacerbated by the barriers to accessing relevant information, data, networks and resources to engage in meaningful discussions and negotiations.

Lastly, power imbalances and positionality within institutional structures remain systemic issues that subtly exclude forcibly displaced people. The design of existing systems and power dynamics prioritises the voices and interests of government officials, experts and established stakeholders, leaving little room for the perspectives of those directly affected by displacement.

By naming these assumptions and barriers, we hope that it prompts stakeholders worldwide to engage in meaningful discussions to rethink the current design of their practices and, ultimately, anchor more inclusive frameworks that better harness the expertise and perspectives of forcibly displaced people.

Centring forcibly displaced people contributes to better policymaking

The mass displacement among the world’s populations has created an essential impetus for including those with forced-displacement backgrounds because it can unlock significant innovations to meet the demands of the coming decade. When combined with the institutional resources of governments and the broader global refugee regime, there is great potential to establish more efficient governance and policymaking across the ecosystem. As part of the case-making for launching USRAB, it became evident that global actors who centred FDP leadership did so because of many motives.

The first is that forcibly displaced people have firsthand knowledge of the challenges and needs of their communities. Because their expertise is grounded in the unique complexities of displacement, they often have key insights into the gaps in existing policies and potential solutions that could be implemented. Second, including forcibly displaced people in policymaking ensures that diverse perspectives enrich the decision-making process, recognises the importance and respect for situational and geographical nuances, potentially can streamline policy adjustments, and sustain positive outcomes over the long-term. Third, democratising platforms in this way to embrace a more representative process powerfully acknowledges the status of forcibly displaced people as active citizens with a real stake in shaping the policies that impact their lives and those of their community members. Operationalising such a process can yield greater legitimacy and transparency of the decisions made – thus, reducing the risk of unintended consequences. Finally, cultivating greater social cohesion and belonging across host countries is a key factor in sustaining support for increased investment in solutions. Often, forcibly displaced people possess skills that can contribute directly to this work, such as conflict resolution, community development, and cultural mediation expertise – which only furthers understanding and intergroup cooperation between newcomers and local communities.

There are several ways to begin including the voice and expertise of forcibly displaced people across policymaking arenas that would complement existing decision-making processes and advance a more solutions-oriented agenda. Some practical strategies and affiliated examples include:

1. Actively creating opportunities for refugee leaders to participate in decision-making processes, such as establishing national advisory boards (i.e., USRAB). Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT) is an international initiative working to enhance the effectiveness of global refugee responses by co-designing mechanisms to amplify refugee leadership ecosystems and increase the participation of refugees at state levels in a meaningful, sustainable and transformative way. USRAB has significantly benefited from R-SEAT’s expertise, and it continues to lead the way in institutionalising advisory boards across the globe.

• Ensuring diversity and representation by actively including refugee leaders as members, consultants or advisors helps provide a broader range of perspectives and experiences to advance projects. For example, the Refugee Advocacy Lab – an initiative of Refugees International, International Refugee Assistance Project, International Rescue Committee, and Refugee Congress – centres the perspective and leadership of displaced people to support advocacy projects, develop strategic communications resources, and champion inclusive policies that build capacity for the field.

• Elevating the positionality of forcibly displaced people across organisations to senior-level and/or decision-making roles is often a crucial first step in establishing an organisation’s commitment to this journey. Therefore, a compositional review of one’s organisation might offer a window into the necessary decisions that would need to be made to become more representative of the populations one is serving.

These ideas and examples are a few ways institutions and states could embrace the expertise of forcibly displaced people. Any effort being considered should be designed to be sustainable over the long term to achieve the desired goals.

Conclusion

Across the world, every day, thousands of people are being forcibly displaced. Upon every step, they witness new realities, adapt to changing conditions, and painstakingly journey toward shores that can protect them and their families. Their journey is not so dissimilar from millions of people across history who have had to do the same. Forcibly displaced people are the carriers of a collective history and embody the resolve and hope of all those who have journeyed to realise a better future. Centring their wisdom can help anchor a new consciousness for our policymaking, cement a more representative pathway toward building durable solutions, and ensure that yesterday’s tragedies have no place in our shared future.

The United States Refugee Advisory Board supports and facilitates the involvement of current and former Forcibly Displaced People in policymaking that affects refugees and displaced people.