Migration and Peace
Background
Swisspeace conducted a recent review to explore the quality and quantity of empirical information pertaining to the links between migration and peace. This work, including actors from academia, politics and the civil society working on the Migration–Peace Nexus, demonstrated that the interrelationships between migration and peacebuilding remain underexplored. Although think tanks and academic institutions have started a conversation on the need to add a peacebuilding dimension to discussions on migration, many civil society organizations continue to invest their resources on migration largely from a development or humanitarian aid perspective. The majority of migrants, refugees and internally displaced people flee from developing, fragile, conflict or post-conflict contexts to countries in similar conditions. The protracted nature of many contemporary conflicts and the resulting insecurity and instability have led to prolonged refugee experiences, with the biggest burden on fragile countries themselves.
Objective
To conduct more research on the Migration–Peace Nexus for a better understanding of the potential and limitation of peacebuilding in the context of migration, including forced displacement, human trafficking, and voluntary movement of people, and to turn results into policy recommendations on how to deal with current challenges of migration in Switzerland and beyond.
Expected Benefits
- In partner countries: Improved understanding of the causes of forced and other migration, and of the potential for leveraging migration for peacebuilding and improving migration policies in a conflict-sensitive way.
- In Switzerland: This work will contribute to improving migration governance by understanding migration’s complex relationship to peacebuilding and leveraging its potential for peace. Switzerland could become a leading actor in migration research as well as in adopting latest insights in policy, thus, proving to be an interesting partner for European and International actors. Adopting research projects on peacebuilding would allow Switzerland to make a significant contribution to the human rights situation of refugees and to improving migration policies in the context of protracted conflicts around the world. Supporting international peacebuilding and state building activities, would put Switzerland in a favourable position to cooperate in sustainable development. Swiss institutions and organizations, both private and public, would benefit from the results of improved synergies between migration management and peacebuilding.
Contact Information
Dana Landau, , phone: +41 31 330 21 48;
