On May 20, 2026, the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN) hosted a virtual launch of the edited volume , which explores Canada’s role in responding to global displacement and advancing collective action for refugee protection. The book was published by McGill–Queen’s University Press as part of . 

Gathering prominent voices in the field, the volume explores Canada’s engagement across regional and global contexts and its involvement with international responses to displacement. Through insights on diplomacy, regional engagement, and resettlement initiatives, it reflects on the relationship between Canada’s international leadership and its domestic practices, offering a nuanced account that moves beyond simplistic narratives of benevolence. 

The webinar brought together over 80 participants globally, who were joined by the book’s three co-editors and seven of its 23 contributors: Delphine Nakache, James Milner, Nathan Benson, Adele Garnier, Alice Nah, Ania Kwadrans, Andrew Thompson, Dominique Marshall, Jennifer M. Hyndman, and Johanna Reynolds. The panel was also joined by the Honourable Bob Rae, Canada’s Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2020-2025).   

Across the 90-minute discussion, the authors highlighted key findings and arguments of their respective chapters, and also reflected on their hopes for the impact of this publication in policy spheres, educational spaces, and advocacy initiatives. The speakers explored topics such as Canada’s historical engagement with refugee protection, the gap between the country’s international reputation and its domestic practices, and concrete actions that Canada can take to redefine leadership globally. In bringing attention to areas in which Canada can strengthen its role in the regime, the authors emphasized the importance of multi-sectoral partnerships, meaningful participation, and sustained engagement in today’s world. 

As the international community celebrates the 75^th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, this book arrives at a pivotal moment in history amid mounting global challenges including record displacement, collapsing funding for UN agencies and programs, and a growing trend of states retreating from international refugee commitments. While Canada continues to be a leader in the regime throughout these shifting priorities, international solidarity is a necessity. This publication reminds audiences that positive change is a product of collective action and calls on other states to lead in a manner that fosters local accountability, uplifts civil society, and brings all stakeholders to the forefront of global collaboration. 

To reserve your copy of Canada in the Global Refugee Regime, visit .

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Watch the full video recording of the webinar here:

This report was prepared by Lilly Neang, LERRN Knowledge Mobilization Officer and Project Editor-in-Chief (EiC).

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LERRN is thrilled to share the news that Deo Mwapinga, LERRN Researcher and PhD graduate, has recently published an article in .

Titled ““, this article explores the notable differences between the lived experience of naturalized refugees from Rwanda and Burundi as citizens of Tanzania. Taking from fieldwork conducted in Tanzania and extensive archival research in both Tanzania and Geneva, Switzerland, Mwapinga attempts to explain the variations of these two groups’ experiences in Tanzania.

This article situates itself in the interdisciplinary field of refugee and forced migration studies, specifically the literature that considers local integration into a host country as a durable solution for refugees.

The post New Journal Article by Deo Mwapinga on Politics of Solutions in Tanzania appeared first on LERRN: The Local Engagement Refugee Research Network.

Working Paper 30

By Zahra Moshref Javadi, Research Associate at The Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS), York University

Jennifer Hyndman, Professor at the Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS) and in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, York University 

Executive Summary

 This paper seeks to address how states use ‘vulnerability’ to select a small percentage of refugees from the millions worldwide for resettlement programs. Across asylum and resettlement contexts, vulnerability functions as a mechanism for categorization and prioritization. In asylum systems, it helps identify individuals requiring procedural accommodation or enhanced protection, whereas in resettlement, it assumes a more consequential role: distinguishing among millions of recognized refugees competing for a limited number of resettlement spaces. However, the very concept that underpins this prioritization, “vulnerability”, remains fluid, contested, and deeply shaped by institutional discretion. While vulnerability is invoked to justify procedural accommodation and enhanced protection, its changing definition and application significantly influence who ultimately gains access to one of the rarest durable solutions.

This study examines how vulnerability is defined and operationalized within UNHCR and Canada’s refugee resettlement system, and the extent to which these definitions reflect evolving policy priorities and discretionary decision-making.

Drawing on legal frameworks, policy instruments, and secondary literature, vulnerability is framed not merely as a humanitarian descriptor but as a governing tool embedded within selection processes. The aim is to clarify how vulnerability functions as both a selection criterion and a site of political interpretation in both UNHCR and Canadian resettlement practices.

The paper argues that vulnerability operates at the intersection of protection and selectivity. While it enables targeted assistance for those facing acute risk, its ambiguity and discretionary application risk producing ‘hierarchies of deservingness’ (Reynolds and Hyndman, 2026). Ensuring fairness and coherence in refugee resettlement requires greater transparency and conceptual clarity in how vulnerability is defined, interpreted, and operationalized.

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LERRN Working Paper No. 30: Analyzing Vulnerability in Canadian Refugee Resettlement

View the full LERRN Working Papers Series here:

DOI

10.22215/glrnw/2605001

Citation: Javadi, Z. M., Hyndman, J. (2026). Analyzing Vulnerability in Canadian Refugee Resettlement. Local Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN). https://doi.org/10.22215/glrnw/2605001

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We are pleased to share a powerful new reflection note from our colleagues at following their participation in the December 2025 Global Refugee Forum Progress Review.

Titled “Beyond Presence: Who Shapes Decisions in Global Refugee Governance?”, this piece asks a straightforward but essential question. In a system where everyone now talks about “inclusion,” are refugees actually influencing the decisions that affect their lives, or is their presence mostly symbolic?

The reflection looks honestly at what happened during the Progress Review. While over 250 participants with lived experience attended and the language of partnership was everywhere, the note questions how much has really changed. It asks whether refugees are being brought into the room to speak or to truly shape outcomes.

The post New Reflection Note: Beyond Presence – Who Shapes Decisions in Global Refugee Governance? appeared first on LERRN: The Local Engagement Refugee Research Network.

On 26 November 2025, LERRN in partnership with the Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network (GAIN), hosted a webinar titled “UNHCR at 75: Challenges and Opportunities.” 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’s 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—further compounded by budget cuts and the withdrawal of political and humanitarian commitments by major donor countries—has 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’s 75th anniversary, this webinar convened academics, civil society actors, and refugee leaders to reflect on the organization’s 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’ 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’s expanded scope—now encompassing stateless persons and, in some cases, internally displaced people—and 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’ expertise. She highlighted how partnerships with academia and refugee-led organizations (RLOs), along with localization and multidisciplinary approaches, can strengthen the global refugee regime’s effectiveness and legitimacy.

Reflecting on 75 years of leadership in emergency response, protection, and the pursuit of durable solutions, Menikdiwela emphasized that UNHCR’s 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’s 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’s 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—particularly by refugee-led organizations—as 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— a region that is both a host and a producer of displaced persons—where 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’s policies, programs, and practices, and examined the extent to which academic research influences the organization’s mandate. He noted that while independent research has helped shape UNHCR’s broader intellectual framework—informing policy agendas on issues such as repatriation, refugee mobility, and refugee-led organizations—its direct impact on UNHCR’s day-to-day policies and practices has been difficult to measure. Crisp suggested that some of these challenges stem from academics’ 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’s 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—rather than simply expanding tokenistic networks.

Q&A Discussion

During the Q&A session, panelists’ 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—and that the protection of refugee rights may be at risk—the panelists were asked to share their calls to action for global leaders and their vision for UNHCR’s 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’s 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—most importantly—expanding 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 10 September 2025, the Migration and Diaspora Studies (MDS) program launched its Guest Speaker Series for the 2025-2026 academic year. The event welcomed MDS students into a thought-provoking dialogue with , LERRN partner, a distinguished scholar in the political economy of education and Co-Director of the Centre for Asia Pacific Research Studies (CAPRS) at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. In this conversation, Dr. Shah invited participants to reflect on the key themes of his draft paper, “The Tangled Web between Refugee Rights, Capitalism, Race, and Education”. Drawing on his extensive research, Dr. Shah encouraged students to critically examine how these forces intersect within education in emergencies, positioning it as a key site for understanding the complex intersectionality of forced migration.

Borders are more than lines—they shape who belongs

Dr. Shah began by discussing contemporary bordering and its connection to racialization, highlighting how these practices continue to impact refugee education. He defined bordering as the “practices and policies that construct, maintain, and enforce borders,” emphasizing that borders are not only physical but also social and political practices embedded in everyday life. Beyond geographic boundaries, bordering shapes who is included or excluded, and also influences individuals’ sense of belonging. Racialization, through groupings, labels, and categories, justifies mobility for some while criminalizing or securitizing movement for others. Furthermore, this racialization determines the levels of protection and access to rights available to different individuals and groups.

Drawing on the work of Nira Yuval-Davis et al. in , Dr. Shah elucidated the concept of “gray zones” — spaces where national sovereignty and accountability become blurred in contemporary migration management, leading to the externalization of migration. He argued that the provision of education has itself become a “gray zone” within this context. Much of contemporary externalization is observed within the Global North, which prioritizes security over human rights, leaving many refugees in an “unsettled present and uncertain future.” Dr. Shah presented examples of how non-state actors in the Global North have come to profit from the externalization of mass migration.

Dr. Shah suggested that the work of refugee teachers and learners in and through these gray zones is both necessary and vulnerable to global capitalism. For learners, the primary challenge is accessing education, whilst teachers navigate gray zones by creating opportunities in informal and unrecognized education programs. Due to the unaccredited nature of these programs, learners often struggle to find higher levels of education or navigate their way into the workforce. Refugee teachers often face restrictions that limit their ability to join the workforce due to host country fears of increased unemployment for citizens. Additional barriers include the non-recognition of refugees’ credentials and qualifications or, when recognition is possible, a process that is often complex, bureaucratic, and difficult to navigate.

Global capitalism profits from exclusion

Dr. Shah and students reflected on the question of why there has been no national political will for enabling refugee teachers to help address the growing teacher shortage. To answer this question, Dr. Shah turned to the work of Nancy Fraser, who argued that global capitalism is fueled by exploitation and expropriation, relying on conditions that are created outside the formal economy, which help sustain and expand its operations. Capitalism thus thrives off emerging spaces outside the traditional realm of commodification and economic activity. Dr. Shah argued that contemporary political and social structures of the Global North are indicative of racialized capitalism.

Dr. Shah concluded by arguing that capitalism’s dual logic — expropriation and exploitation — is enabled by racialized social relations that compel refugees to participate in economic systems that marginalize them and push them to the peripheries of capitalism. Drawing on his work on refugee education, he illustrated how forced migration is not a crisis for global capitalism but rather essential to its survival. As the Global North continues to securitize its borders and profit from the externalization of migration, the global political economy thrives on the precarious conditions imposed on refugees.

What an inspiring start to a year of critical dialogue and new ideas at the Migration and Diaspora Studies Program! Through critical cross-disciplinary scholarship and open dialogue MDS fosters deeper understanding of movement and transnational settlement of people.

To learn more about the program and join the conversation by visiting Migration and Diaspora Studies – ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University

This event was in part supported by LERRN, Local Engagement Refugee Research Network.

Listen Below for the Full Conversation

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Working Paper 23

By Abdi Bishar Bashir, York University, Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) Program

Executive Summary

This research investigates barriers to the implementation and provision of inclusive education for learners with disabilities in Hagadera Primary Schools. Inclusive education is an educational philosophy based on human rights and democratic principles that aim to address educational exclusion faced by learners with disabilities. Its implementation facilitates an education system that fits and responds to the need of all learners particularly, to those living with disabilities. As the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) implementing primary education in Hagadera camp are trying to provide inclusive education for all, overcoming barriers for learners with disabilities remains the most difficult challenge. This research seeks to better understand the barriers that not only hinder the implementation and provision of inclusive education, but specifically those that lead to the exclusion of learners with disabilities, particularly to those with hearing, vision, and physical impairments.

The paper employs a qualitative research design conducting semi-structured interviews for three learners with disabilities and an administrative teacher. The semi-structured questions are guided by the intensive understanding of barriers to the implementation and provision of inclusive education while also addressing some tangible solutions. Findings explore that insufficient teaching and learning resources, exacerbated by the disability-unfriendly environment, ignited the negative attitudes of learners with disabilities and contributed to their discrimination in the classroom and elsewhere. The findings also acknowledged the need to enhance public awareness and sensitization of educational rights of persons with disabilities.

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Barriers to Inclusive Education for Learners with Disabilities in Hagadera Refugee Camp’s Primary Schools

PRINT-Barriers to Inclusive Education for Learners with Disabilities in Hagadera Refugee Camp’s Primary Schools

View the full LERRN Working Paper Series here:

DOI

Citation

Bashir, A. B. (2025). Barriers to Inclusive Education For Learners With Disabilities in Primary Schools in Hagadera Refugee Camp. Local Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN).

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By ,  Cyrine Saab, Maha Shuayb

We are thrilled to share a new research study report published by our partner Center for Lebanese Studies (CLS).

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the knowledge production landscape in the field of refugee education, critically exploring how it continues to be shaped by colonial legacies and dominated by global north (GN) perspectives. Analysing the
English language and Arabic language academic literature on refugee education, the study investigates the power dynamics, economic interests, and ideological influences that sustain the divide between the global north and global south (GS) in this body of research. The findings reveal that the field of refugee education, despite its growth and diversification over the past two decades, remains profoundly unequal in terms of authorship, geographic focus, and the overall epistemological and ontological frameworks that underpin it.

Read the full report .

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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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by Lavender Mboya

Displacement in the East African region refers to forced movement of individuals or communities from their homes due to conflict, persecution, natural disasters, climate change, or economic instability. This displacement can be internal (within a country) or across borders (as refugees).

Refugees in Kenya are mostly from Somalia, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia, communities that have deeply rooted patriarchal systems, as is still much of the region.

Gender dynamics significantly impact refugee leadership in Kenya, both in the camps and in urban areas. These dynamics, influence who leads, how leadership is perceived, and what barriers or opportunities exist for inclusive governance within refugee communities. Therefore, understanding and addressing gender disparities is imperative for advancing equitable participation and effective community representation. Leadership structures in refugee camps and urban settlements are often male dominated, and this extends to refuge-led organizations or camp committees, where women are often given secondary roles, such as secretarial duties rather than being included in the decision-making processes. It is no wonder that programmes have over focused on empowering women, yet, this is causing an imbalance where the development of men and boys is concerned.

Historically, in many societies, women were denied access to formal jobs, land ownership, and were often restricted to domestic roles. Patriarchal systems reinforced male dominance in politics, economy, and social structures, whereas women had limited legal rights and were often seen as dependents of men. In many cultures around the world, women mostly gained voting rights in the 20^th century and presently many societies still lack gender- inclusive policies in governance and economy.

These injustices and discrimination over the years gave rise to feminist advocacy movements that led to the in 1995, which was a turning point for women’s rights worldwide, where countries committed to eliminating gender-based discrimination and promoting equality. The also aims to achieve ‘gender equality’ and empower all women and girls.

In a recent study conducted by LERRN, findings from refugee leaders in Nairobi suggest that gender-focused programming, while crucial, can unintentionally neglect the unique challenges faced by men and boys, particularly in contexts where access to education, employment, and leadership is already constrained. This perceived imbalance can foster resentment, social tension, and even backlash against women’s gains. Gender equality should not be seen as a zero-sum game. A more inclusive and equitable approach requires designing programs that respond to the needs of all genders, ensuring that initiatives are seen as collective gains rather than individual privileges. When both women and men are supported to lead, contribute, and access opportunities, refugee communities are most likely to thrive, with leadership that is representative, collaborative, and sustainable.

In refugee camps, leadership structures often replicate patriarchal norms, with men dominating formal leadership roles whereas in urban settings, informal leadership spaces offer opportunities for women, yet these roles often lack institutional recognition or support. In resource scarce settings, the perception that women’s empowerment equals men’s disempowerment can emerge – not out of resistance to women’s rights, but from feelings of exclusion. This reinforces gender inequality by shifting resentment, not toward the systems that marginalize everyone, but toward the gender that appears to be gaining recognition.

** Jack and Jill not real names of leaders. Names changed to protect leaders. **

Women is a lauded move but not at the expense of men and boys, as this creates an imbalanced society, while contradicting the term ‘’. Some men perceive women’s empowerment as a threat rather than a solution which can lead to increased gender-based violence, broken families, and resistance to gender policies. Refugee men and boys who feel economically and socially powerless are prone to depression, alcoholism, and substance abuse and suicide due to lack of purpose. Excluding men from economic and leadership opportunities, leads to family breakdowns because men feeling disempowered and women end up carrying double burdens i.e., working and handling family responsibilities. As traditional male roles shift, men need new identities based on respect, partnership and shared responsibilities. Without guidance, some men turn to aggression, hyper-masculinity, or social withdrawal. When refugee males, especially youth or marginalized sub-groups face barriers to employment, education, and leadership without targeted support, it creates a gap in programming. This absence may lead to social tensions, identity crises, and backlash that hinder the progress of women empowerment efforts.

Women empowerment is essential, but excluding men is creating new complications and while the solution is not to stop empowering women and girls but men and boys should be included in the conversation, to ensure that both genders thrive together and not one, at the expense of the other. Addressing gender dynamics in refugee leadership is critical to achieving inclusive and equitable governance in both camp and urban setting in Kenya. Strategic investment, policy reform, and community engagement can foster an environment where all refugees, regardless of gender, can lead and participate meaningfully in shaping their future for a thriving and well-functioning posterity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lavender Mboya brings to the East Africa Research Team over eight years of experience in project administration, coordination, and research, with a focus on migration. In her previous work, as a research team leader within a regional consortium, she led studies examining the dynamics, drivers, and implications of mobility, migration, and displacement across the Horn of Africa. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from The Open University, United Kingdom.

ABOUT THE STUDY:

To learn more about the study results, please visit: /lerrn/refugee-leadership-in-south-america-and-east-africa/

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