THE United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency on Monday released a report which says that 65 million people have been displaced by conflict worldwide as at the end of 2015. This number trumps the World War II (WW) figure by five million,the number of people who were displaced during the war. According to the UN a refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. The influx of refugees brings pressure to receiving communities/countries in several social and economic forms. The presence of unplanned population increase impacts the receiving countries’ education and health-care systems, public transportation, housing, and the availability of jobs, to name a few.
While the populace of countries may express concerns about the socio-economic circumstances of the displaced, they remain mindful of the responsibility of the State to offset expenses of an unplanned demographic, which leads to reservations that funding is being diverted to other areas resulting in the compromising of the quality of social services received. For instance, one of the reasons used by the Brexit (Britain exit) campaign in the United Kingdom to exit the European Union was the pressure legal residents felt the National Health Scheme has been subjected to due to the influx of refugees and un-documented persons.
At a cultural level, that is the way of life of displaced migrants- there emerges varying lifestyles which bring about further conflict and if not properly managed can lead to xenophobia and discrimination against groups and individuals. The displacement of the identified millions did not occur through major wars which involved countries against countries or regions against regions as happened in WWI and II. These present wars have their geneses in pursuits such as political, ethnic and religious domination, economic control of resources, gender and child violence, and narco- trafficking.
The factors involved in the existing conflicts that have led to the current displacement reflect how complex the world has become in managing its own affairs. WWI and II were fought on economic and political dominance, ethnic superiority, and expansionist tendencies. As such, resolutions were not too difficult to be found to not only resolve differences, but to avoid repeat of similar acts in the future.
Arising from the WWI the International Labour Organisation (ILO) was established in 1919 on social justice, and the UN in 1948 on human rights informed by notions of superiority/inferiority that was a major conflict in WWII. The principles that established the ILO were based on recognition that the industrial revolution resulted in the displacement of the cottage industry, high levels of inequality in the societies, and the exploitation of workers/labour. This consciousness led to addressing same through a tripartite approach to societal management and development which comprises government, workers’ representatives and employers’ representatives.
The ILO is further based on the philosophy that tripartite association would see collective development of instruments that guide and regulate conduct of operatives in society, and moreso to assist in resolving differences, establish best practices that can be used in countries and across borders, and minimise tensions in society. The establishment of the UN was to avoid future occurrence of expansionism and notion of superiority/ inferiority which saw 60 million persons being displaced in WWII and resulted in the Universal Declarations which proclaimed the equality of man and the right to be treated with respect and dignity. Handling the global refugee crisis requires applying the principles adumbrated by the ILO and the UN. These two institutions remain the post-war entities, based on the philosophies of their establishment, to help the world deal with the crisis.
As it is recognised by the UN, a “Refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.” Outside of the UN and its attendant agencies responding to the global crisis, member-states can also aid resolutions by the manner in which they manage or govern their countries. By rigidly embracing the principles and objectives of the ILO and the UN, governments and peoples around the world can set the tone and be examples to influence the peoples of affected communities/countries to stand up to their leaders for what is just and fair. Acknowledged too is the fact that responsibility for the current displacement is that of the leaders of the country of origin. Consequently, increased pressure has to be brought to bear to cause said leaders to recognize that their actions pose dire consequences for their people, other countries and the world at large.