The refugee crisis is a complex and intractable issue. People flee war, violence, conflict and persecution around the world in large numbers. They seek safe haven in countries other than their own to protect them from ill-treatment and rebuild their lives.
Human rights and humanitarian principles set out in the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and in other international agreements provide a global framework for responding to displacement. Refugees have the right to asylum and protection, including legal status and access to basic services.
In addition to natural disasters, severe poverty and human rights violations can lead to displacement. People who leave their home country due to these calamities are often not recognised as refugees, even when they have been forced to seek safety elsewhere. This deprives them of many of the rights guaranteed to them.
Refugee crises are often deeply enmeshed in wider regional security issues. As a result, attempts to resolve them in isolation from the context that created them are doomed to fail. Manipulating displaced populations to achieve political goals reduces their safety and well-being, and can also lead to further displacement. In the long run, this undermines the capacity of humanitarian agencies to help displaced people.