Meaningfully Engaging Youth in the Governance of the Global Refugee System
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World Refugee Council Research Paper No. 18 — November 2019 Meaningfully Engaging Youth in the Governance of the Global Refugee System Bushra Ebadi World Refugee Council Research Paper No. 18 — November 2019 Meaningfully Engaging Youth in the Governance of the Global Refugee System Bushra Ebadi About CIGI Credits We are the Centre for International Governance Innovation: an independent, Managing Director, General Council Aaron Shull non-partisan think tank with an objective and uniquely global perspective. Our Publisher Carol Bonnett research, opinions and public voice make a difference in today’s world by bringing clarity and innovative thinking to global policy making. By working Publications Editor Lynn Schellenberg across disciplines and in partnership with the best peers and experts, we are the Graphic Designer Brooklynn Schwartz benchmark for influential research and trusted analysis. Our research initiatives focus on governance of the global economy, global security and politics, and international law in collaboration with a range of strategic partners and have received support from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, as well as founder Jim Balsillie. À propos du CIGI Au Centre pour l'innovation dans la gouvernance internationale (CIGI), nous formons un groupe de réflexion indépendant et non partisan doté d’un point de vue objectif et unique de portée mondiale. Nos recherches, nos avis et nos interventions publiques ont des effets réels sur le monde d'aujourd’hui car ils apportent de la clarté et une réflexion novatrice pour l’élaboration des politiques à l’échelle internationale. En raison des travaux accomplis en collaboration et en partenariat avec des pairs et des spécialistes interdisciplinaires des plus compétents, nous sommes devenus une référence grâce à l’influence de nos recherches et à la fiabilité de nos analyses. Nos projets de recherche ont trait à la gouvernance dans les domaines suivants : l’économie mondiale, la sécurité et les politiques internationales, et le droit international. Nous comptons sur la collaboration de nombreux partenaires stratégiques et avons reçu le soutien des gouvernements du Canada et de l’Ontario ainsi que du fondateur du CIGI, Jim Balsillie. Copyright © 2019 by the Centre for International Governance Innovation The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Centre for International Governance Innovation or its Board of Directors. For publications enquiries, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution — Non-commercial — No Derivatives License. To view this license, visit (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). For re-use or distribution, please include this copyright notice. Centre for International Governance Innovation and CIGI are registered trademarks. 67 Erb Street West Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 6C2 www.cigionline.org Table of Contents vi About the Series vi About the Author 1 Executive Summary 1 Introduction 3 Methodology 3 Defining Youth, Refugees and IDPs 6 Youth Engagement: A Durable Solution and Necessity 8 Gaps in the Literature 9 The Case for Engaging Displaced Youth 11 Barriers to Youth Engagement 16 A Model for Effective Youth Engagement 20 Conclusion and Next Steps 21 Works Cited 26 About CIGI 26 À propos du CIGI 27 About the World Refugee Council 27 À propos du Conseil mondial pour les réfugiés About the Series About the Author World Refugee Council research papers are Bushra Ebadi is a social innovator focused on policy documents commissioned by the designing sustainable, innovative solutions Council from world-renowned experts to help to complex global challenges using her inform the World Refugee Council and its final multidisciplinary background and skills in design recommendations. The measures and concepts and systems thinking, policy analysis and mixed in these documents do not necessarily reflect methods research. She has co-created refugee the views of the World Refugee Council. housing and integration strategies for arrival cities around the world, including Toronto and Paris. Bushra has conducted research and developed strategies on meaningful youth engagement and intergenerational dialogue and partnerships; women in leadership in the United Nations; advancing women’s interests in Afghanistan’s peace negotiations; assessing the effectiveness of UN Women’s Safe Cities for Women and Girls program; and gender mainstreaming within refugee policy making and governance, multilateral decision-making and governance bodies, and in peace, security, and development policies. Bushra is a youth ambassador for North America and Europe for the Global Alliance on Partnerships for Media and Information Literacy. She currently serves as an executive member and youth adviser for the Canadian Commission for the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. She recently supported the World Refugee Council in developing recommendations to transform the global refugee and internal displacement systems as a Global Security & Politics Program research associate with the Centre for International Governance Innovation. Bushra holds a master’s degree in global affairs from the University of Toronto, Munk School of Global Affairs, and a joint honours B.A. in political science and philosophy, with a double minor in French and management, from McGill University. vi World Refugee Council Research Paper No. 18 — November 2019 • Bushra Ebadi achieve sustainable solutions for forcibly displaced Executive Summary populations and the communities that host them. The meaningful engagement in global governance of youth — in particular displaced youth, including both refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) — is crucial to ensuring the sustainability Introduction and effectiveness of political, economic and social systems, as well as to realizing durable Images of displaced and marginalized youth appear peace and security. Young people aged 15 to 35 in humanitarian and development campaigns, in comprise one-third of the world’s population yet “feel-good” advertisements and sensationalized are largely absent from decision-making fora and news, evoking either pity or fear — pity, for a as such are unaccounted for in policy making, demographic seen as innocent victims of conflict, programming and laws. The disenfranchisement corruption, violence and natural disasters; of displaced youth is a particular problem, fear, for a demographic often associated with because it further marginalizes young people terrorism, gang violence and precariousness. These who have already experienced persecution and seemingly conflicting sentiments toward youth been forcibly displaced. While their individual exist simultaneously and contribute to the further realities vary depending on geographic location, marginalization of a population already excluded gender and sexual identity, economic status and from legal, political, economic and social systems individual situation, youth share the experience around the world. Refugees and refugee-led or of being marginalized within existing legal, focused organizations are not being systematically political, economic and social systems globally. and meaningfully engaged as partners in decision making, knowledge creation, program development Beyond consultations and youth fora on migration and policy making, despite efforts by the Office and refugees, the United Nations’ Global Compact of the United Nations High Commissioner for processes have not successfully mainstreamed Refugees (UNHCR) during the Global Compact the interests of youth or developed mechanisms for Refugees consultations (Jones 2019). for effectively engaging this population. Instead, despite their unique needs and capacities, Refugee and displaced youth face even greater displaced youth and refugees have largely been levels of invisibility and marginalization. While data tokenized: invited to participate, yet prevented is collected on displaced populations (including from influencing decisions or the design of refugees and IDPs), very little information structures and institutions, policy and reforms. is available on the numbers of displaced youth around the world. Existing refugee and The meaningful and continuous engagement of displacement research also largely focuses on the youth (displaced and otherwise) in the governance mental, psychological, health and educational of the global refugee system is critical for the outcomes of displaced youth. This paper aims to system’s functionality and to ensure that their demonstrate gaps in the current literature, while needs are being met and to address the barriers identifying key insights into the experiences of that impede them from exercising their agency. refugee and other displaced youth relating to their While programming for and research on refugee engagement in the governance of the system. For youth are sparse, this paper aims to demonstrate the purposes of this paper, Lawrence S. Finkelstein’s the importance of including displaced youth in conceptualization of global governance is used, governance and decision making; to identify key namely, “overlapping functions performed barriers to engagement that displaced youth face; internationally: information creation and exchange; and to highlight effective strategies for engaging formulation and promulgation of principles and youth. Comprehensive financial, legal, social and promotion of consensual knowledge affecting governance reforms