In the wake of World War II, countries signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, a global agreement to protect people fleeing conflict or persecution. But today, barbed wire fences and chronic underfunding have eroded this once-promising model. The refugee crisis has become a global tragedy. Millions of children, women and men have been forced to leave their homes in search of safety, a better life or to rejoin family. They have fled for all sorts of reasons: violence, war, hunger and extreme poverty, gang violence, religious or sexual discrimination, climate change and natural disasters. Sadly, many will never return home.
Inevitably, the refugee crisis becomes a political issue. It can exacerbate the destabilization of the host country, or lead to violations of international legal protections and human rights. It can also increase the chance of secondary displacement, as has been evident in Europe.
Refugee crises tend to occur in volatile, high-conflict regions, and the attempt to resolve them in isolation from the wider regional security environment generally leads to frustration and a waste of resources. Manipulating refugees for political purposes only increases their sense of desperation and vulnerability, as it does when host states use them as bargaining tools with conflicting third parties.
Ultimately, the solution to this global tragedy lies in ending the conflicts and persecution that force people to flee in the first place. However, in the short term it will also require an innovative approach to addressing their needs, including work opportunities for those with the skills and willingness to do them.