From Beneficiaries to Actors: Understanding Displaced Persons’ Roles in Resolution Processes

There are now more people uprooted by conflict than at any time since WWII, with contemporary displacement situations lasting an average of 20 years. Lack of access to “durable solutions” for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) is in part a consequence of the failure to resolve and build peace following the conflicts that generate displacement crises. International norms and standards routinely call for the active engagement of refugees and IDPs in peacebuilding processes, and in the pursuit of durable solutions. Yet in the majority of cases, states and other international actors fail to actively incorporate displaced persons in these processes.

This workshop will bring together an inter-disciplinary group of leading and emerging researchers who will analyze where and how displaced populations contribute to inter-related political “resolution” processes, and the significance of these engagements for understanding the agency of displaced persons.

Snacks and beverages will be provided. RSVP required: megan.bradley [at] mcgill.ca