Every day families around the world leave their homes and lives behind in search of safety and opportunity. Some become refugees in new countries, and others migrate to escape back-breaking poverty. But they often face unequal treatment and poor public policies.
Large-scale refugee crises are entwined with international and civil conflict, and can lead to regional destabilization. Host countries are forced to balance refugee protection and state security, and policy makers too often view the two as unrelated or even opposing factors. This creates the risk that refugee populations will be used as weapons to threaten political enemies and neighboring states. This is known as weaponized migration.
People become refugees when they are displaced from their homes because of war or political unrest, but many reasons can also force people to flee. These include hunger, poverty, discrimination based on race or gender, and natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes or mudslides. Some of these are internal displacements, but climate change, for example through water scarcity or rising sea levels, can also push people to cross international borders.
All countries should put saving life first and take in their fair share of refugees. They should investigate and prosecute traffickers who exploit people and put their lives at risk, and they should fight all forms of xenophobia and racism that fuel hatred and intolerance towards refugees and migrants. They should also put a strong focus on finding sustainable solutions to conflict and addressing the root causes of displacement, rather than focus solely on tackling displacement flows.
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