The Global Compact on Refugees, adopted in 2018 by nations worldwide, stands as a cornerstone in shaping contemporary refugee policy. Emphasizing a comprehensive approach, the Compact calls for collaboration among governments, non-profits, the private sector, civil society, and academia. The Migration Policy Centre announces pledges to help advance the goals of the Compact and improve protection for other categories of migrants.

Over the next four years, the Migration Policy Centre is pledging to do the following:

1. Increase knowledge and training on effective migration communication

Recognizing the polarized nature of public discourse on migration globally, the Centre is dedicating efforts to increase knowledge and training on effective communication. Through research and training programmes, the Centre aims to provide accurate information, dispel misconceptions, and foster constructive dialogue on migration. Building on years of growing expertise in researching, polling, and conducting survey experiments on public attitudes to migration policy, the Centre will produce new evidence on effective strategies to communicate about migration, refugees, and other people on the move. By 2028, they will produce publications on the causes and impacts of public attitudes to migration and refugees and train professionals on effective migration communication strategies.

2. Establish a collaborative platform for policymakers and researchers

The Centre is establishing a collaborative platform to bridge the gap between migration research and policy influence. Using behavioral science insights, this platform aims to enhance dialogue among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. By 2028, they plan to develop a model for sharing research and co-creating policy solutions, fostering a more informed, collaborative, and effective approach to challenges in asylum, refugee, and vulnerable migrant contexts.

3. Explore innovative ways to enhance refugees' economic inclusion and social protection

Refugee response has remained crisis-oriented and focused on minimum ‘essential needs’ even though protracted displacement is the overwhelming norm in refugee contexts. The Centre will explore innovative ideas to improve refugee self-reliance and social protection in displacement. Research initiatives with refugees will help identify the therapeutic and community-building significance of beautification in the lives of forcibly displaced individuals. By 2028, they will develop evidence to create more dignified and effective refugee responses by recognizing and incorporating the therapeutic role of beauty in the built environment.

4. Ensure that refugees’ expertise and perspectives are at the centre of policy, practice and research

Since the adoption of the Geneva Convention in 1951, refugee policymaking and governance has largely been absent of refugees themselves. Policy gatherings about them have taken place largely without their meaningful involvement. This has started to change as refugees have been leading a remarkable change on the global stage to be heard, included and looked to in shaping refugee policy. The Centre joins several states and NGOs in being a signatory to the Refugee Participation pledge led by the Global Refugee-Led Network to help ensure that refugees can meaningfully participate in the decisions that affect their lives. By 2028, they aim to find ways and increase how we involve and work with refugees and those with lived experience into their research, training, and events.

Read more:

• Who’s leading refugee policy? Increasingly, refugees
• Re-thinking Migration Studies? Developing social research training with refugee communities in Jordan