Refuge

One of the main themes in this book is the idea that refuge must be understood as not only a humanitarian issue but also one of development. Put simply, it is not just about indefinitely providing food, clothing, and shelter. It has to be about restoring people’s autonomy through jobs and education, particularly in the countries in the developing w

For the first time in its history, Europe received a mass influx of refugees from outside of the European region.

Almost 90 per cent of refugees are in havens in the developing world,

We live in disturbed times. There are more people displaced than at any time since the Second World War. Most of these 65 million uprooted people remain within their own countries, but nearly a third – over 20 million – had no alternative but to cross a border. When they did, they became refugees.

But since the end of the Cold War, the average duration of exile has been over a decade

Today over half of the world’s refugees are in ‘protracted refugee situations’ and for them the average length of stay is over two decades. People are born into camps, grow up in camps, and become adults in camps.

Global refugee numbers are at their highest since the early 1990s: 21.3 million people.* As if this were not bad enough, the typical focus on refugees leads to a radical underestimation of the disruption to people’s lives caused by violent disorder. To be classified as a refugee you have to cross an international border. Many people fleeing violenc

Most host states place serious restrictions on the right to work;

the argument that refuge is as much a development issue as a humanitarian issue, the focus on restoring refugees’ autonomy through jobs and education, the emphasis on creating sustainable safe havens in the countries that host the majority of the world’s refugees, the recognition of a role for business alongside government and civil society, and th