James Milner has delivered what may prove to be one of the most important presentations of his career thus far.
In July, he briefed representatives of seventy-five Member States and NGOs at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The briefing was arranged to support the process of negotiating a UN Declaration, which is intended to reinforce the UN’s refugee system and is set to be adopted by the UN General Assembly in September.
“There’s a sense that this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity because the issue of refugees has such political visibility,” explains Associate Professor Milner, whose research has focused on the rise of protracted refugee situations. “I was there to offer background on the efforts to resolve long complex refugee situations in the past: what worked, what didn’t, and the lessons we can draw today.”
Professor Milner told the group that while the international refugee law was very clear in terms of the rights of refugees, there have been significant and recurring gaps in the implementation of that law.
Under a reformed system, he recommends identifying countries that can operate pilots of the new approach that emphasizes solutions, such as Jordan, Zambia, and Uganda. He also stressed that accountability will be essential.
“One of the great weaknesses in the current system is that there’s no mechanism whereby UN agencies responsible for the global refugee regime are held accountable for failure,” says Professor Milner.
His hope is that Canada will be at the forefront of a new global approach to refugee and migration issues.
Photo: UNHCR
“Canada could play a big role because the resettlement of Syrian refugees has increased Canada’s moral authority, whereas other leaders are constrained in what they can do on the world stage,” he says. “So there’s a lot of hope and optimism that we can leverage what we have done.”
Read more about James Milner’s research.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016 in Department of Political Science, Institute of European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, International, News, Policy
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