Sustainable Refugee Return

Refugee return is one of the three
so-called durable solutions to refugee displacement
envisaged by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) and the international community. The objective of
this study is to identify the conditions that influence the
decisions by refugees in protracted displacement regarding
return to their home country - when, why, and by whom are
decisions on return or other coping strategies made, and how
are they affected both by life in exile and by the situation
in the country of origin. The primary purpose of the study
is to inform the World Bank’s country and regional
strategies, as well as its operational approaches on ways to
address forced displacement by showing that well thought out
development actions that are responsive to the circumstances
of specific displacement situations can contribute to the
sustainable return and reintegration for displaced. Using a
desk study method, the analysis has drawn on the existing
literature on refugee decision-making regarding return
together with eight country return cases. The study assesses
both the conditions of life in asylum and those in the
country of origin including activities to support
reconstruction and development by governments and
development actors including the World Bank, that have
influenced whether, and to which extent, refugees were able
to return in a durable manner or have adapted in other ways
to opportunities and constraints in places of exile and
origin. This paper will make the case that to assist return
to become sustainable, it is necessary to also address
development challenges affecting both the returnees and
those who remained, and these cannot be met alone through
short-term humanitarian efforts alongside political, social,
peace building, and security considerations.