A G20 refugee agenda
“related organisation” in September 2016, the IOM had no formal mandate to protect the rights of migrants. And even as a UN-related entity, the IOM suffers a mismatch between its broad mission and its meagre budget and staff. It has been held to a “zero growth” standard in recent years, even as demand for its programs has increased. And, because its work is largely project-based, with member states funding specific activities, its role in mitigating refugee crises is largely reliant on individual members’ preferences and priorities.
As key guardians of the world’s refugees, these two organisations must adapt to today’s challenges. Proactive policies on interagency coordination and financial burden sharing are essential. Elements of the Refugee Convention, like language on asylum policies, also should be updated to reflect current realities, and both agencies need to develop holistic and consistent policies on refugee advocacy and protection. To this end, the member states of both organisations should support their continued integration within the UN structure, which would give them more tools to influence the causes, not just the effects, of forced displacement.
These are just a few of the governance upgrades that I have recommended for the G20. Both the UNHCR and the IOM could benefit from stronger multilateral support, and the G20 is uniquely poised to offer it. If we cannot end war, famine, corruption, or poverty, then the next best solution is to improve the organisations helping those who flee them.
(The writer is the Chairman of the Institute for Policy, Advocacy, and Governance (IPAG), an international think tank and led a review of global migration governance for the G20 2017 summit to be held in Hamburg, Germany on July 7-8.) Courtesy: Project Syndicate, 2017.
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