The ‘World Refugee Day’ was observed on 20th June amid a worrying trend of mass-migrations, surge in refugees, hardening local attitudes to migrants in many countries and worrying numbers of children refugees needing care. To mark the occasion, the Honorable UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, visited Kenya which has remained at the forefront of a refugee influx. He praised the country for its inclusive policies towards refugees and its commitment to their well-being.
As of 31 December 2021, Kenya was hosting more than 5 lakh and 40 thousand refugees, three-fourth of whom were resident in the Dadaab and Kakuma camps as well as nearby cities. Among the refugee and asylum-seeker population, women and children constituted 77%. Additionally, Kenya had identified approximately 18,500 stateless individuals within the country.
Grandi highlighted Kenya’s efforts in providing opportunities for refugees to rebuild their lives and contribute to the host communities. He commended the Kenyan government’s plans to implement innovative and inclusive policies, such as granting refugees the right to work and live alongside Kenyans, which would promote self-reliance, economic growth, and reduce dependency on humanitarian aid. In an article published on the UN website, the commissioner urged, “It is time for us all to commit to including refugees in our communities at all levels – in our schools, workplaces, health-care systems, and beyond, as the Kenyan government is doing, so that refugees can regain hope away from home.”
Grandi urged the international community to support host countries like Kenya and emphasized the importance of inclusion and solidarity in addressing the global refugee crisis. He also named Sudan and other neighboring countries and commended their peoples for welcoming refugees (mostly from Somalia), although these countries require huge sums of money and external support for the refugee populations. The commissioner made a stark warning too. He lamented that, today “long-term solutions for people forced to flee remain pitifully scarce, leaving many of the world’s 35 million refugees in limbo.”
In 2021, the Kenyan government in partnership with the UNHRC developed a six-pillar joint Roadmap for Solutions for care and repatriation of refugees in Dadaab and Kakuma camps. It included “voluntary return for refugees in safety and dignity, departures to third countries under various arrangements, and alternative stay options in Kenya for certain refugees from East African Community countries.” According to the latest available figures, almost 85 thousand refugees have been successfully repatriated to Somalia from Kenya. In addition, the inclusive policies have led to a positive contribution by the refugees to the Kenyan economy. The country reported that refugees were free to farmlands and a thriving farm produce (mostly vegetables) had been established.
The Kenyan UNHCR branch informed, “900 farmers are benefiting from 20 acres of farmland provided by the Kenyan government, producing on average more than 28,000 tonnes annually and earning profits of over $23,000. They also use the harvest to feed themselves and their families.” The UNHCR High Commissioner visited these farms and said, “I am using this particular visit to highlight to the rest of the world that we can – and must – do more to offer such hope, opportunities, and solutions to refugees, wherever they are and whatever the context. Kenya shows that it is possible.”
According to UNHCR’s projections, around 117 million people will be forcibly displaced or stateless by the end of 2023. Currently, it is projected to hover around 110 million. This number is concerning as it is more than 1 percent of the total global population. Half of the above is internally displaced while a fourth of them are refugees. Due to the Ukraine war, the displaced population in Europe has jumped to the second position, not much behind Africa. Both these continents now contribute to almost half of the displaced population on the globe.
To become sustainable, the world community must inculcate an inclusive model that integrates the refugees into the economy with some proper basic rights. In addition, the effort to stabilize home states and ensure proper repatriation must be encouraged simultaneously.
