Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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Somalia, and Mali demonstrate how poverty, endemic violence, and environmental
degradation all play a role in driving migration. Migration decisions thus are rarely dictated by
one factor alone.
Due to these complex challenges and the self-perpetuating nature of instability, there are
currently few instances within the OIC where refugee situations have been quickly or fully
resolved. As a result, new displacement often overlaps with existing refugee and IDP
situations – as seen in the Middle East. Situations also arise in which forced migration flows
travel in both directions along the same channels, such as the route between Yemen and the
Horn of Africa. The complex nature of forced migration—and the dangerous journeys forced
migrants often undertake—creates further protection gaps that require the development of
strong and intricate asylum frameworks.
Over a third of OIC countries have yet to ratify the 1951 Convention, and even fewer have
implemented national legislation in line with the 1951 Convention or created systems through
which the claims of asylum seekers can be processed. West Africa stands out as a region that
has made a strong effort to incorporate the 1951 Convention into national law, while none of
the Gulf States have yet ratified the Convention. States that have not ratified the Convention
may still accept refugees and follow key principles such as nonrefoulement, most notably
Lebanon and Jordan. But without a legal framework to guide responses to forced migration,
action is often taken in an ad hoc manner in response to individual situations, creating a lack
of coherency that precludes comprehensive protection for those who need it (such as Syrians
in Turkey or the Gulf States).
The framework created by the 1951 Convention also leaves substantial gaps, creating a key
role for regional legislation in ensuring broad protection for the forcibly displaced. For
example, the 1951 Convention does not acknowledge the many possible drivers of forced
migration such as generalized violence or a lack of economic opportunity resulting from
ongoing instability and conflict. The 1969 OAU Convention sought to address this issue by
expanding the definition of a refugee to include those affected by war and the loss of public
order, more closely matching the experience of African refugees. But such approaches have
yet to be adopted in other regions with OIC countries.
More broadly, meaningful regional cooperation on forced migration has been limited outside
of Africa. OIC countries have typically relied on collaboration driven by regional consultative
processes and high-level meetings. Initiatives such as the Khartoum Process and the Almaty
Process have served as forums through which regional partners can engage in dialogue on
collaboration and capacity-building to address the complex nature of forced migration.
However, these processes have mostly been unable to enact meaningful change in national
protection frameworks. This leaves individual countries with a large degree of discretion and
responsibility to create and implement asylum legislation.