A new episode 4.16 of Battle Rhythm is now available. The podcast explores the role of academic voices in public information spaces and the ways scholars can contribute to public debate and policy discussions.

In this episode, co-host Steve Saideman speaks with James Milner, Director of the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN). Their conversation examines the current state of the global refugee regime and discusses how LERRN and its partners are working to support the development of more effective, evidence-based solutions for and with refugees.

Listen to the full episode here:

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We are proud to announce that two LERRN colleagues have been selected as recipients of the 2026 Faculty of Public and Global Affairs (FPGA) Excellence Awards at 杏吧原创 University. Each year, the FPGA recognizes outstanding individuals among its faculty and staff.

• Lama Mourad has been selected as the recipient of a 2026 FPGA Teaching Excellence Award
• James Milner has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 FPGA Community Engagement Excellence Award

Through experiential learning opportunities developed in collaboration with LERRN and the R-SEAT team (Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table), Lama Mourad has challenged graduate students to engage in contextual analysis and research on refugee protection through refugee-led initiatives. Students were tasked to produce real-world contextual reports and policy mapping on refugee leadership ecosystems, directly contributing to R-SEAT鈥檚 mission of advancing refugee inclusion and participation in global decision-making. Reflecting on the experience, one student shared:

Lama Mourad has also been recognized by receiving the 2025鈥�26 Future Learning Innovation Fellowship for her exciting and innovative teaching project focused on immersive diplomacy and negotiation simulations using Artificial Intelligence (AI). Supported by Teaching and Learning Services, Dr. Mourad鈥檚 project will bring a fully immersive, AI-enhanced negotiation simulation into the classroom, giving students hands-on experience navigating the challenges of global diplomacy. Using adaptive AI 鈥淒eputies,鈥� the simulation presents students with real-time prompts, counterarguments, and evolving scenarios that encourage critical thinking, collaboration, and strategic decision-making.

Through his leadership of the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN), James Milner has been recognized for demonstrating the transformative impact of meaningful collaboration between academia, international organizations, and community leaders in advancing the rights and protections of forcibly displaced people. LERRN work has strengthened evidence-based research, advocacy, and policy development while centering the voices and experiences of displaced communities.

LERRN鈥檚 commitment to meaningful engagement and experiential learning has supported more than 200 graduate students and enabled 12 graduate students to conduct fieldwork on refugee issues in the Global South. Through a partnership agreement between UNHCR Canada and 杏吧原创 University, more than 25 杏吧原创 students have also completed internships supporting UNHCR Canada鈥檚 efforts to find durable solutions for refugees while gaining valuable hands-on experience.

In collaboration with Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT), LERRN also helped mobilize more than 20 杏吧原创 graduate students to provide research support and contributed to the development of an advocacy training program that has benefited more than 250 refugees participating in global meetings in Geneva.

Congratulations to Dr. Mourad and Dr. Milner on these well-deserved achievements!

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LERRN is thrilled to partner with Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba聽from the Institute of African Studies,聽聽at the University of Ghana, the聽聽at Makerere University in Uganda, and the聽聽in South Africa to co-create knowledge that can serve as the basis for new policies and programs for cooperation and exchange in border areas.聽This new initiative is generously funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York ($1.8 million) and supported by 杏吧原创 University.

Read more:聽

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On 26 November 2025, LERRN in partnership with the Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network (GAIN), hosted a webinar titled 鈥淯NHCR at 75: Challenges and Opportunities.鈥� The webinar was moderated by Liliana Jubilut, co-chair of GAIN. The panel consisted of four speakers: Jeff Crisp, research associate at the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford, Jean Marie Ishimwe, East Africa regional lead of Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT), Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, assistant high commissioner for protection at the UNHCR, and James Milner, LERRN鈥檚 project director. The distinguished panel was joined by 98 participants online from 22 countries across the world.

With people displaced worldwide, the global refugee regime is confronting an unprecedented level of complexity and scale in forced displacement. This magnitude鈥攆urther compounded by budget cuts and the withdrawal of political and humanitarian commitments by major donor countries鈥攈as raised critical questions about the capacity of leading organizations to effectively respond to the needs of refugees, stateless persons, internally displaced persons, and other forcibly displaced populations. On the eve of UNHCR鈥檚 75th anniversary, this webinar convened academics, civil society actors, and refugee leaders to reflect on the organization鈥檚 historical role and its future in the global refugee regime. Ahead of the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review in Geneva later this month, the panel discussed both the obstacles and opportunities facing UNHCR in the current political climate and offered suggestions for future action. The panelists collectively agreed that in order to adequately safeguard refugee protection in an increasingly turbulent world, stakeholders must work towards greater solidarity, inclusion, and multilateral collaboration that centers refugees鈥� lived experience and expertise. 

Menikdiwela opened the session by noting that has evolved over the past 75 years in response to the changing context and increasing complexity of forced migration. She outlined the agency鈥檚 expanded scope鈥攏ow encompassing stateless persons and, in some cases, internally displaced people鈥攁nd its three core pillars: international protection, durable solutions, and adherence to the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. She emphasized the need for national and international support that benefits both refugees and host communities, while highlighting five key challenges: the scale of mass displacement driven by protracted conflicts, a shrinking humanitarian space and the politicization of asylum, persistent funding gaps and staffing shortages, the growing complexity of displacement, and the accelerating global climate crisis. To address these challenges, Menikdiwela underscored the importance of reliable data, cross-sector and inter-agency collaboration, participatory research, and inclusive practices that amplify refugees鈥� expertise. She highlighted how partnerships with academia and refugee-led organizations (RLOs), along with localization and multidisciplinary approaches, can strengthen the global refugee regime鈥檚 effectiveness and legitimacy.

Reflecting on 75 years of leadership in emergency response, protection, and the pursuit of durable solutions, Menikdiwela emphasized that UNHCR鈥檚 mandate remains as vital and relevant today as it was at its inception.

James Milner outlined several current challenges shaping discourse around the functioning of the global refugee regime and UNHCR鈥檚 mandate: a collapse in funding as traditional donors redirect resources toward defense rather than protection; rising political hostility to the asylum regime that undermines foundational refugee and human rights norms; and declining confidence in multilateralism. Despite this context, Milner expressed optimism, noting that the regime has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to adapt to geopolitical shifts. He reminded the audience that geopolitics have shaped UNHCR鈥檚 evolution since the early days of the Cold War. These transformations, he argued, have also created openings for stronger refugee-led responses, increased leadership from the Global South, and the emergence of new norms that may positively reform the regime. Looking ahead, Milner highlighted the importance of cooperation among like-minded actors and states, along with greater civil society participation鈥攑articularly by refugee-led organizations鈥攁s a pathway toward more effective co-governance within the regime. He underscored the value of innovative approaches and collective efforts aligned with the principles of the , including locally produced knowledge and equitable partnerships.

Drawing on his personal experience working in East Africa鈥� a region that is both a host and a producer of displaced persons鈥攚here meaningful refugee participation is becoming an emerging norm, Ishimwe emphasized the need to restructure the system by placing refugee leadership at the core of the refugee regime. He argued that partners must move beyond tokenistic approaches to participation and instead ground their policies and programming in collective solidarity and genuine recognition of refugees as experts and innovators, rather than as burdens or aid-dependent populations. He noted that while East Africa is seeing a growing number of refugee-led organizations (RLOs), these groups often struggle for recognition and sustainable funding, as governments and institutions frequently limit their role to consultation rather than leadership. True progress, Ishimwe suggested, requires resetting the humanitarian system with new leadership; institutionalizing meaningful refugee participation at the center of the system beyond project-based engagement; and positioning refugees in executive roles to ensure that policies and programs are effective, just, and reflective of their needs, aspirations, and lived realities.

Jeff Crisp shifted the conversation to the role of academia in shaping UNHCR鈥檚 policies, programs, and practices, and examined the extent to which academic research influences the organization鈥檚 mandate. He noted that while independent research has helped shape UNHCR鈥檚 broader intellectual framework鈥攊nforming policy agendas on issues such as repatriation, refugee mobility, and refugee-led organizations鈥攊ts direct impact on UNHCR鈥檚 day-to-day policies and practices has been difficult to measure. Crisp suggested that some of these challenges stem from academics鈥� tendency to use inaccessible language, produce research in formats misaligned with policy needs, or propose studies at moments when they are not actionable. Academic work also sometimes overlooks localized knowledge or recommends solutions that do not align with current priorities or available resources. From the organizational side, Crisp observed that UNHCR鈥檚 engagement with academia has historically depended heavily on leadership support, including initiatives like the open-access working paper series and partnerships with research centers worldwide. However, he noted that this support has declined in recent years due to growing skepticism toward independent researchers and, at times, an unwillingness to hear critiques of the organization. He recommended revitalizing and strengthening these relationships through timely, innovative collaborations鈥攔ather than simply expanding tokenistic networks.

Q&A Discussion

During the Q&A session, panelists鈥� interventions sparked a vibrant discussion in response to questions submitted by the audience. With growing concern that the regime is facing its most profound crisis鈥攁nd that the protection of refugee rights may be at risk鈥攖he panelists were asked to share their calls to action for global leaders and their vision for UNHCR鈥檚 future.

In response, Milner emphasized that no single actor can reform the regime without broad consensus and multisectoral collaboration; UNHCR relies on partnerships to fulfill its mandate, and the importance of collective action cannot be overstated. Crisp called for a reassessment of UNHCR鈥檚 scope and activities to ensure the organization prioritizes its core mandate of refugee protection. Ishimwe stressed the centrality of refugee participation and the need for a mindset shift toward a system accountable not only to donor countries but to refugees themselves. He added that while the system may not yet be prepared for refugees to lead, such a paradigm shift is essential for meaningful change.

In their concluding remarks, all panelists underscored the importance of centering lived experience and localized knowledge in policy and programming. They recommended leveraging new technologies to co-create knowledge with researchers who have lived experience of displacement, using prominent platforms to elevate the work of refugee researchers, allocating sustainable funding to RLOs, and鈥攎ost importantly鈥攅xpanding refugee participation beyond storytelling to genuine leadership and substantive influence in executive spaces, ensuring participation is meaningful rather than performative.

Watch the full webinar:

Relevant Content

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On the 12th of September 2025, a panel discussion titled 鈥淭owards a New Response to Forced Migration through Local Engagement Refugee Research Network鈥� concluded the three-day LERRN 2.0 launch in Ottawa. The roundtable brought together academia and civil society partners with lived experience of displacement to present to the public the newly launched global partnership between academia and forcibly displaced communities (LERRN 2.0)

The discussion was moderated by Rez Gardi, Co-Director of LERRN and Co-Managing Director of R-SEAT. Panelists included James Milner, Co-Director of LERRN; Mustafa Alio, Co-Managing Director of R-SEAT; Ana Maria Diez of Coalici贸n por Venezuela; and Stephanie Lopez Villamil, South America Project Lead and Researcher.

The panel highlighted the urgent challenges facing refugees globally and emphasized the need to prioritize new ways of incorporating the expertise of people with lived experiences of forced displacement into the functioning of the global refugee system. This includes fostering trust and investing in truly collaborative relationships between academics and forcibly displaced populations. By engaging refugees and displaced communities in the co-production of research, policy, and initiatives, stakeholders can leverage local knowledge, skills, and resources to create solutions that are more effective and accountable to the communities they aim to serve.

James Milner stressed the growing fragility of the global refugee system, noting that the political and financial foundations established after World War II have become increasingly vulnerable. He explained that the new phase of LERRN鈥攂uilt on a collective vision for change and trust-based partnerships among academia, civil society, and refugee leaders鈥攁ims to contribute to meaningful solutions. As Dr. Milner stated, 鈥淲e respond by having the courage to think differently鈥攏o single set of actors has a monopoly on the truth.鈥�

Ana Maria Diez, drawing on her expertise and knowledge of the regional crisis in Latin America鈥攑articularly the Venezuelan displacement鈥攅mphasized that sudden, unsubstantiated funding reductions have forced many regional initiatives to shut down. She noted that the closure of the Dari茅n Gap illustrates the grave dangers that arise when escape routes are blocked, but it does not stop people from seeking safety.

Stephanie Lopez-Villamil shared findings from her extensive research in Colombia, Chile, and Brazil, highlighting how shifts in foreign aid policies and fragile asylum systems increase risks for people seeking refuge, placing them in more vulnerable and life-threatening conditions. She also underscored the crucial role of refugee leadership in safeguarding communities.

The discussion highlighted the urgent need for the international community to re-mobilize, strengthen protections to address systemic gaps, and foster deeper collaboration with displaced-led organizations to achieve effective and sustainable solutions.

LERRN’s new six-year partnership underscores a commitment to innovation and the development of a new response framework for forced migration. Broader collaborations with RLOs around the world create more opportunities for equal research partnerships and for amplifying refugee voices in key areas such as academia.

emphasized that academia can play the role of building trust with refugees and decision-making authorities that can influence positive outcomes for people forced to flee. Collaborations with academic institutions offer platforms for shared knowledge exchange and creation of innovative responses to displacement.

Central to LERRN 2.0 is the effort to elevate the voices of forcibly displaced communities and ensure their experiences inform research, policy, and practice. The partnership aims to promote inclusive approaches that benefit both refugees and host communities, fostering hope that coordinated, courageous action can drive change even in challenging times.

Related Posts

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We鈥檙e proud to share that the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) has recognized our work through LERRN partnership 鈥� the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network 鈥� by naming James Milner a finalist for the 2025 SSHRC Impact Partnership Award. These awards are among Canada鈥檚 highest honours in the social sciences and humanities, celebrating exceptional research, training, and knowledge mobilization.

The SSHRC Impact Awards honour researchers and thought leaders whose work deepens our understanding of people, society, and culture. Finalists represent the leading edge of innovation and insight, helping shape a more just, inclusive, and informed world.

Under the leadership of James Milner and through our sustained collective efforts, LERRN has played a pivotal role in advancing the interdisciplinary field of refugee and forced migration studies. Through its commitment to equitable and inclusive South-North research collaboration, LERRN has helped shift the landscape of refugee research. Our innovative training programs鈥攄eveloped with and for refugees鈥攃reate meaningful opportunities for learning, leadership, and knowledge-sharing.

Being named a finalist for the SSHRC Partnership Award recognizes the impact of LERRN鈥檚 collaborative approach and the importance of centering refugee voices and experiences in research, practice, and policy!

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By: Ola G. El-Taliawi, Ph.D., Luiz Leomil, and James Milner

Introduction

Scholarship on refugee policy has grown substantially over the past decades, reflecting the increasing complexity of forced displacement and policy responses worldwide. This reflects the realization that state responses to refugees are not only shaped by legal and humanitarian considerations, but also by broader policy processes. It also invites deeper engagement with the field of policy studies and the insights it can offer to refugee and forced migration studies.

Refugee studies has long benefited from insights from different disciplines and, as forced displacement continues to pose complex governance challenges, it is crucial that the field maintains and expands this interdisciplinarity. Engaging with policy studies can advance scholarly analysis by shedding light on the institutions, actors, and ideas that shape refugee policy.

This paper examines the extent to which policy studies and refugee and forced migration studies have intersected in recent scholarship. In particular, it investigates how issues of refugee policy have been dealt with, looking into the theoretical and methodological approaches scholars employ.

The authors also explore what policy issues and themes are most prominent in recent research. Further, building on previous analyses conducted by LERRN, the paper also addresses key questions about which disciplines and institutions are shaping this subfield.

To explore these dynamics, the paper presents findings from a bibliometric and content analysis. By mapping key dimensions of refugee policy research, this study provides insights into the state of this subfield and highlights the potential for deeper cross-disciplinary engagement with policy studies

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We are thrilled to announce the release of the article titled “by Merve Erdilmen, James Milner, Megan Bradley published in

There has been increased scholarly and policy attention to 鈥渓ocalized鈥� responses to displacement, in the hope that further empowering local actors may unlock new means of protecting refugees鈥� rights and addressing their needs. However, these efforts have often oversimplified power relations within localization processes, bringing some players into focus while occluding others, and devoting insufficient attention to how localization processes and the power dynamics surrounding them have evolved over time. In response, this article draws on theories of subalternity and subaltern agency from the field of postcolonial studies to develop a more nuanced conceptualization of power in localization processes in the refugee regime. We contend that subalternity is best understood as a fluid, relational position that changes over time, such that particular refugees and displaced groups may oscillate between dominant and marginalized, subaltern subject positions, within intersecting systems of power. We probe refugees鈥� subaltern agency in terms of resistance and persistence, and deepen this account through analysis of localized responses to Burundian refugees in Tanzania, focusing on the localization of efforts to secure durable solutions for refugees. We argue that localization scholarship, particularly in the context of the refugee regime, needs to move beyond homogenized, dehistoricized, and romanticized notions of grassroots, refugee-led responses and focus on complex and fluid power configurations among diverse local actors.

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As levels of forced displacement continue to grow around the world, 杏吧原创 University is contributing to improved responses through partnered research, teaching and community engagement at a global scale.

颁补谤濒别迟辞苍鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;James Milner, Associate Professor of Political Science has been appointed as co-chair of the Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network (GAIN) 鈹� a group of 213 university members from countries around the world formed from the Global Compact on Refugees.

Prof. James Milner (Photo: Aryan Barzani, 2023)

Through his initial three-year term as co-chair, Milner will work alongside Professor Liliana Lyra Jubilut, Universidade Cat贸lica de Santos, Brazil, to advance the international effort that higher education can take in response to the growing and complex topic of forced migration and displacement. They will facilitate research, training and scholarship opportunities in support of the objectives of .

One of Milner鈥檚 key priorities as GAIN co-chair is to support and promote the inclusion of refugees and other forced migrants as equal partners in all stages of the research process. Each of the priorities set by GAIN acknowledge that the perspectives and knowledge of individuals with lived experiences strengthen and legitimize the evidence-based solutions that contribute to transformative, lasting change and the vital role that universities play in identifying and creating the conditions that foster inclusivity.

GAIN, alongside leadership partners including 杏吧原创鈥檚 LERRN: Local Engagement Refugee Research Network, also led by Milner, and the International Development Research Centre Canada (IRDC), will deliver on key outcomes of a  supported by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees.

The Global Compact that GAIN is a part of was affirmed by the UN General Assembly in December 2018.

Milner is the current Project Director of LERRN: The Local Engagement Refugee Research Network, researcher, practitioner and policy advisor on issues relating to migration and diaspora in the context of policy and politics.

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In this episode of hosted by Co-Director of R-SEAT , LERRN Project Director James Milner talks about his research in the forced migration field throughout his career, the change in global refugee regime since the 90s, and meaningful refugee participation in the international refugee system.

As with any paradigm shift, change in the international refugee regime comes with its ups and downs. The global pandemic, for example, proved that top-down and large-scale responses have become unsustainable and ineffective over time. Instead, Milner states 鈥渙ur only hope is to foster and to support localized responses.鈥�

In the episode, Milner defines what localization means in the context of humanitarian responses, while unveiling some of the barriers and obstacles in implementing localization when meeting refugee needs. 鈥淲e need to recognize that refugees are not there to be disciplined or governed, refugees are human beings with agency, ideas, and innovation. Recognizing that they have a meaningful and equal role to play is not just an ethically good thing to do, but also it’s a practically important thing to do鈥� says Milner. Localization, then, requires a transfer of powers and funding from international actors to local actors who are closest to the forced displacement.

You can listen to James Milner’s previous podcast episode here and contact us on for a conversation!

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