Doing the maths to end the refugee crisis : modelling responsibility-sharing in refugee response

Abstract

The number of refugees worldwide is big and growing; solutions for them, however, lack ambition. The answer, as outlined by the Global Compact on Refugees, is supposed to lie in “responsibility-sharing” among states. While this concept is not new, its definition is contested. There have been proposals on what responsibility-sharing could look like, all of them are simply frameworks. This analysis models an example of responsibility-sharing to significantly increase the number of durable solutions for refugees. Doing so demonstrates the impact of diffusing refugee hosting from a few, largely lower-income countries and how much more can be achieved with broader and more equitable participation. While there are limits to the feasibility and reliability of this model, non-profits, advocacy organizations, and academia must continue to infuse responsibility-sharing in refugee protection with actual numbers, countries, and dates for three reasons: (1) It defines the scope of the responsibility that needs to be shared amongst states; (2) It paints a clear, ambitious numerical goal that can motivate actors to contribute; and (3) it creates benchmarks to compare what states are currently contributing to what a more responsible distribution would suggest.