Forced Displacement and Development in Host Countries - Resilience as New Concept for Dealing with Situations of Forced Displacement?

Abstract

In light of increasing numbers of refugees worldwide, often resulting in protracted refugee situations that affect refugees as well as the development of the countries hosting them the thesis analyzes what contribution the concept of resilience can make in dealing with these situations, focusing on novel aspects of resilience-thinking as well as on the concept’s strengths and weaknesses if applied in situations of forced displacement. <br /> The thesis is based on an analysis of both primary and secondary sources in the fields of forced displacement, development and resilience, complemented with information gained through fieldwork and qualitative semi-structured expert interviews. Using the ‘Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan in Response to the Syria Crisis’ (3RP) as a case study, it first compares the 3RP’s resilience-based response framework with several approaches to situations of forced displacement in the past that were applied in similar contexts and with similar objectives. In a structured qualitative comparison, it assesses similarities and differences with the aim of deducing novel aspects of a resilience-based approach. In a second step, the 3RP’s implementation in Jordan and Lebanon serves as a case study to (1) analyze how a resilience-based response has been understood and implemented in two different national contexts, and to (2) illustrate strengths and weaknesses of a resilience-based response. In a final step, the thesis draws conclusions about the use, applicability and added value of resilience-thinking in situations of forced displacement in general. <br /> The thesis finds that, while the 3RP framework incorporates some novel aspects on a contextual, conceptual and strategic level, it overall does not display large differences in fundamental aspects to previous approaches. Rather, it relies on the same core principles including the linkage of humanitarian and development-oriented assistance and a focus on national ownership, self-sufficiency, the alignment with national development plans and partnerships between different actors. Deriving from the experiences made in the concrete applications of the 3RP in Jordan and Lebanon, the thesis further finds that, despite its various conceptual strengths, several aspects inherent in resilience-thinking prove controversial if applied to situations of forced displacement. These include the lack of a clear definition, the concept’s claims to transformational change that are difficult to meet as well as concerns regarding the aftermath of resilience. Another ambiguity of resilience-thinking in situations of forced displacement refers to the possibility of two key aspects of the concept running contrary to each other in case of a refugee-adverse government, that is, increased national capacities and ownership versus increased capacities and self-sufficiency of refugees, as well as key aspects of resilience-programming counteracting key principles of a refugee response, including increased national capacities and ownership of a refugee-adverse government versus the protection of refugees, or the aspect of self-sufficiency of refugees versus protection issues. <br /> The thesis therefore concludes that resilience-thinking in the context of forced displacement is neither new nor can it be regarded as a panacea. Nevertheless, it holds some valuable characteristics that, if both the prevailing context and lessons from the past are taken into consideration, all actors share the same understanding of what is to be achieved, and the response is adapted accordingly, can provide new impulses for future refugee responses.