According to the World Migration Report (IOM, 2020), there were about 272 million migrants globally last year, representing only 3,5% of the world’s population. Despite this low ratio and the fact that 26% of these migrants were forced to leave their countries, anti-migration in government policies, narratives and public discourse is still common.
As the number of people on the move is estimated to grow, notably for demographic and environmental reasons, seizing the opportunities that migration brings for peace seems relevant and necessary. To this end, some efforts have been made by the international community since 2018. By adopting the two global compacts on refugees and migration, 152 UN Member States intended to strengthen their cooperation and commitment to ease national responses, uplift migrants’ conditions and human rights in host and home countries. However, not all states approved them and their non-legally binding nature undermines their implementation.
In view of the remaining challenges, KOFF has launched a Joint Learning Process on Peacebuilding and Migration (JLPM), enabling its member organizations to explore the opportunities and challenges that migration brings to peace. Together, they seek solutions to promote a systematic and strategic inclusion of migration in peacebuilding policy and programming and advocate for a more nuanced and constructive narrative on migration.
In anticipation of its findings and recommendations, this edition of à propos offers a first overview of KOFF and other organizations’ perspectives on the migration-peace nexus, its opportunities and challenges in the current context. While some have recently seen migrants’ aspirations for peace deteriorate due to the COVID-19 crisis or xenophobia, others have seen them empowered through capacity building, access to the labor market or inclusion in the society with the help of social cohesion programs.
Wishing you a pleasant read,
Sanjally Jobarteh, Editor of KOFF magazine
