Host countries under pressure

Details

Due to geopolitical conflicts, civil wars and crises, the global number of refugees and displaced people has grown significantly during the last decade. According to UNHCR, more than two thirds of refugees are hosted by neighboring states, most of them low- and middle-income countries. However, assisting and protecting refugees comes with major challenges for host countries and communities: financial constraints, pressure on education and health care systems or missing social acceptance. As most governments and societies cannot master these challenges without external support, international humanitarian aid and development assistance will continue to play a crucial role in easing the pressure.

This conference will bring together experts, policy makers and civil society representatives from major host countries and the international community to assess how refugee assistance and protection mechanisms can be guaranteed in the direct neighborhood of states affected by war and conflicts. What multilateral approaches and structures are needed amid profound geopolitical shifts and structural changes in the international humanitarian and development system? How can governments, state institutions and international organizations better combine their efforts, effectively use resources and – at the same time – make sure that support systems find acceptance in host societies? And what role can Germany – a major host country in Europe and one of the largest international donors – play in this context?