Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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IV. Recommendations
The following are a list of preliminary recommendations to national governments, as well as
to the broader humanitarian and international community, which have emerged from this
research:
 Legal status is crucial as a first step, but it isn’t the whole story . Without legal
status in an asylum country, refugees (and forced migrants more broadly) are by
definition limited in their access to work and crucial services—and also lack the
security and stability that a legal right to residence provides. In countries without
asylum or protection frameworks, developing a system to determine protection needs
and assign legal status is a crucial first step to dealing with forced migration. Even in
countries that do have such legislation, there is a need to think harder about how to
handle the situation of forced migrants whose protection needs do not match existing
legal frameworks. Legislation alone is not enough, however. Without investments in
regulations, staff, and infrastructure to implement protection laws, they will remain
ineffective, and implementation must thus remain as much of a priority as legislation.
 Design policies to maximize the autonomy refugees have in their social and
economic lives. The most successful strategies to alleviate poverty will provide
refugees with some degree of autonomy and capitalize on, rather than fight against,
their altogether natural desire for self-determination and control. Affording refugees
with freedom of movement and residence, for example, will ensure they are able to
take advantage of available livelihood opportunities no matter where they are located.
Other measures, like providing social support in the form of cash grants rather than
food rations, can also serve to increase refugees’ autonomy.
 Utilize national service systems and poverty alleviation strategies to meet the
needs of refugees as well as host communities. As asylum countries and the
international community become increasingly aware that most displacement is now
protracted, it has also become clear that maintaining separate service infrastructures
for refugees and host communities is untenable in the long term. Moreover, the
international assistance and financial support that refugees bring can be an
opportunity to revitalize or expand struggling national systems. International donors
should thus consider how they can work with national authorities and actors to open
services to refugees, and national governments should consider how barriers to the
use of services by refugees might be removed in a sustainable way. Such efforts will,
however, need to be carefully thought through to ensure that service provision is
sustainable, even after international financial assistance dwindles. Local service
providers will also likely need additional support in order to cope with the more
diverse needs of refugee populations.
 Provide sustained and holistic international support to enable asylum countries
to meet their obligations. The scale and rapidity with which large-scale forced
migration flows occur make it impossible for any country to handle registration,
reception, and integration responsibilities alone. If asylum countries, particularly
those in the developing world, are to undertake these responsibilities in a sustainable
way, they will require support from the international community that goes beyond the
traditional humanitarian "care and maintenance" approach or even the small-scale
livelihoods and development approaches emerging most recently. Rather, financial
and practical support will need to be provided at a systemic level both for migration
and asylum management tasks (adjudicating claims and granting legal status) as well
as support for the inclusion of refugees into basic support systems and local
economies. Such large-scale support will require a high level of commitment from