Key Moments
Normalizing Refugees’ Right to Meaningfully Participate - Migration Summit 2024
MIT OpenCourseWareKey Moments
Migrant participation is key for dignified work, economic growth, and social cohesion, requiring inclusive policies and collaboration.
Key Insights
Migration governance is crucial for managing displaced populations, ensuring human rights, and planning for social and economic stability.
Integrating refugees into economic activities benefits host countries through potential economic growth, skills utilization, and enhanced social cohesion.
Progressive legal frameworks, like Kenya's Refugee Act 2021 and the Shirika Plan, are vital for recognizing refugee skills, enabling financial inclusion, and transitioning from camps to settlements.
Challenges remain in implementation, including documentation delays, access to services, and protection against forced return, requiring continuous advocacy and awareness.
Self-reliance for displaced persons depends on financial support for refugee-led organizations, skill recognition, documentation, and job creation with host communities.
Kenya's experience offers lessons for global actors on managing protracted refugee situations and implementing frameworks like the Global Compact for Refugees.
The Shirika Plan is an innovative approach by Kenya to integrate refugees into national planning and public participation, promoting free movement and competition for opportunities.
UNDERSTANDING MIGRATION GOVERNANCE AND ITS IMPORTANCE
Migration governance encompasses the policies, frameworks, institutions, and practices that regulate how states manage migration and displacement. It is critical for all countries, but especially those hosting large displaced populations like Kenya, to ensure human rights protection, access to services, and social cohesion. Effective governance allows for proper planning and integration of diverse populations, contributing to both the well-being of displaced individuals and the socio-economic stability of host countries. Global migration governance has evolved, particularly since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and major refugee crises.
THE GLOBAL COMPACT FOR REFUGEES AND KENYA'S ROLE
The Global Compact for Refugees aims to ease pressure on host countries, enhance refugee self-reliance, expand third-country solutions, and support conditions for safe return. Kenya, as a major refugee-hosting nation, has developed its own pillars inspired by international declarations to implement these objectives. These include enhancing protection, supporting immediate needs, and promoting regional cooperation. Despite not formally adopting the comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, Kenya's experiences in managing protracted refugee situations offer valuable lessons for international actors seeking to achieve these global goals.
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BENEFITS OF REFUGEE INCLUSION
Integrating refugees into socio-economic activities yields significant benefits for host countries, moving beyond humanitarian aid to a development-focused approach. Refugees bring valuable skills and contribute to local economies, fostering entrepreneurship and creating employment opportunities. This inclusion enhances social cohesion by shifting the perception of refugees from dependents to contributors, promoting peace and mutual understanding. Furthermore, it builds resilience and reduces poverty, aligning with the humanitarian-development nexus by incorporating refugees into national and county development plans.
INNOVATIVE APPROACHES AND LEGAL FRAMEWORKS IN KENYA
Kenya is implementing progressive measures to facilitate refugee participation, including the Refugee Act of 2021 and integrated settlement development plans like Kosele and Kakkuma. These initiatives aim to recognize refugees' existing skills and professional qualifications, thus enabling their integration into the formal economy. Financial inclusion is also a key focus, providing refugees with access to bank accounts and affordable finance. The transition from refugee camps to integrated settlements like Kosele is designed to promote self-reliance and enhance livelihood opportunities for both refugees and host communities.
CHALLENGES AND GAPS IN IMPLEMENTATION
Despite progressive policies, challenges persist in the practical implementation of refugee inclusion. These include delays in registration and documentation, difficulties in accessing basic services like healthcare and education due to document recognition issues, and a lack of awareness among some service providers. The Refugee Act 2021, while comprehensive, faces implementation gaps, particularly concerning timely documentation, integration into the labor market involving work permits, and protection against arbitrary detention or forced return. Continuous advocacy and awareness campaigns targeting both rights-holders and duty-bearers are essential to bridge these gaps.
THE SHIRIKA PLAN AND PATHWAYS TO SELF-RELIANCE
The Shirika Plan by the Kenyan government represents an innovative, government-led strategy for refugee integration, promoting self-reliance and co-existence between refugees and host communities. It aims to bring refugees into national planning systems, ensuring free movement and enabling them to compete for opportunities. This comprehensive plan addresses regulatory frameworks, access to government services, skills development, and entrepreneurship support. It is crucial for ensuring the immediate and ongoing needs of refugees and host communities are met, fostering a sustainable and inclusive environment.
PROSPECTS FOR SOCIOECONOMIC INCLUSION AND SUSTAINED SUPPORT
The Shirika Plan holds significant promise for promoting socio-economic inclusion by bridging legal and policy gaps, enhancing quality of life through integrated services, and aligning with decent work principles. Its success hinges on collaborative action among government ministries, development partners, and refugees themselves. Investing in skills development, entrepreneurship, and job creation, while addressing issues like taxation in the digital economy, is vital. Ensuring that refugees have access to decent employment and social protection schemes, alongside host communities, is critical for lasting peace, economic development, and resilience.
Mentioned in This Episode
●Software & Apps
●Companies
●Organizations
●Concepts
●People Referenced
Common Questions
Migration governance refers to the systems, policies, frameworks, institutions, and practices that manage migration and displacement. It is crucial for protecting human rights, ensuring access to services, promoting social cohesion, and facilitating development planning for both displaced populations and host countries.
Topics
Mentioned in this video
A government-led process in Kenya focused on refugee integration, aiming to allow refugees freedom of movement, a voice in planning, and opportunities to compete with Kenyans.
An initiative in Kenya focused on the socioeconomic integration of refugees.
A key governance measure in Kenya focusing on the socioeconomic integration of refugees.
A framework formed from the New York Declaration to support host countries, enhance refugee self-reliance, expand third-country solutions, and support conditions for return.
A global initiative by UNHCR for mapping refugee-led organizations. At the country level, efforts are underway to establish a refugee advisory body.
A commercial bank in Kenya that is open to refugees opening bank accounts and accessing financial facilities.
A financial initiative born from an agreement between Turkana County, AFC, and UNHCR, supporting investments and businesses within Kakuma.
A commercial bank in Kenya that has a welcoming approach for refugees to open bank accounts and access facilities.
Program Officer for the Refugee Consortium of Kenya, and a panelist discussing gaps in the implementation of the Refugees Act 2021.
Co-founder of Kobay Initiative for Better Life, and a panelist discussing the Kobo-Bay settlement and entrepreneurship.
Insistent Livelihood and Economic Officer for UNHCR, and a panelist discussing opportunities for displaced populations.
Senior Advocacy Manager for the International Rescue Committee, and a panelist discussing migration governance.
National Program Coordinator for the International Labor Organization, and a panelist discussing socio-economic inclusion and decent work.
UNHCR High Commissioner, who recently discussed the future of refugee policy at the University of Nairobi, highlighting Kenya's leadership and the importance of peace.
A declaration that inspired Kenya's pillars for implementing the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework.
A non-legally binding instrument that informs current global refugee policy, aiming to ease pressure on host countries, enhance refugee self-reliance, expand third-country solutions, and support conditions for return.
A declaration that inspired Kenya's pillars for implementing the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework.
A declaration that inspired Kenya's pillars for implementing the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework.
A declaration from 2016 by world leaders that led to the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, aimed at supporting host countries and refugees.
The ministry responsible for launching a strategy on the inclusion of informal workers into social protection schemes, which could potentially include refugees.
A government ministry that needs to be at the table for discussions on refugee inclusion, particularly concerning work permits and migration.
A key partner that leads many initiatives and aligns programming with UNHCR in Kakuma, demonstrating strong government buy-in.
Organization where Jeffrey Oola is the National Program Coordinator. Discussed in relation to decent work and social justice for refugees.
A development partner that Samuel suggests could collaborate with refugee organizations, facilitated by UNHCR.
An NGO founded by Ry Freedman that advocates for refugee and human rights worldwide.
An organization co-founded by Samuel Bja Sanuka focused on improving the lives of refugees, particularly within the Kobo-Bay settlement.
Provided a definition of migration governance.
The Kenyan government department played a critical role in ensuring refugee inclusion in the Sherika Plan, working with other stakeholders.
A development partner that Samuel suggests can play a role in supporting refugee-led organizations by bridging gaps and fostering trust similar to UNHCR's approach.
An authority that UNHCR encourages engagement with to recognize professional certifications of refugees.
A partnership involving UNHCR and ILO working on employment facilitation and job placement for refugees.
Mentioned as a partner in the Kakuma Calob Challenge Fund, alongside Turkana County Government and UNHCR.
One of the organizers of the Migration Summit 2024.
Samuel's organization, which provides digital skills training with the goal of enabling graduates to find digital jobs or create digital enterprises, facing accreditation challenges.
Organization where Philip Oanda is a Program Officer. Discussed in relation to refugee protection and legal rights.
One of the major refugee camps in Kenya, hosting a large refugee population, some since its opening over 30 years ago.
One of the main refugee camps in Kenya, hosting a significant portion of the refugee population. It's noted as a marketplace with a substantial economy.
The status of Kakuma is noted as a municipality, implying a shift away from traditional camp structures and towards integration, as part of the Sherika plan.
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