Refugee Week 2020

In this post blog, Dr Fidèle Mutwarasibo, Visiting Research Fellow at The Open University’s Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership (CVSL) reflects on Refugee Week (June 2020). He explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on refugees and displaced people across the world. He explores through the lens of the Black Lives Matter Social movement what happens when migrants and refugees are excluded and suffer social and racial inequalities over time. Finally, he shares his insights into the webinar CVSL co-hosted with KIRON Open Higher Education on 19 June and the unveiling of the World Refugee Day Pillar at The MK Rose on 20 June.

20 June 2020 was World Refugee Day, a hugely important day in the lives of the 80 million refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people around the world. In many areas where refugee camps are based, the situation worsened considerably as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic, for example, led to reduced funding for the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies. A recent report suggested that refugees have been cutting back on food and medicine. The report highlights, for example, that in Jordan, only 17,000 out of 49,000 newly identified families in need had received help. Closer to home, in the UK, many refugees and asylum seekers would have been following reports of relatively higher proportions of ethnic minorities as being among the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over sixty organisations working with homeless and destitute migrants in the UK issued a joint letter to the Prime Minister under the banner of NACCOM – The No Accommodation Network on 20 March 2020. In the letter, the network recommended the Government take cognisance of the challenges faced by migrants “unable to access healthcare or housing because of No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) and benefit restrictions”. The Open University dedicated a portal (Year of Mygration) to immigration and integration issues in 2018. Some of the causes of the heath inequalities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic were discussed in detail on the portal.  A recent call for funded PhD applications highlights the fact that The Open University is eager to assist in developing solutions and closing the disparities and social inequalities exposed by COVID-19 pandemic.  

Asylum seekers and refugees who have made it to developed countries like the UK have been, like the rest of us, following the Black Lives Matter protests with interest. A lot has changed since we witnessed the 8 minutes 46 seconds choke-hold through kneeling on the neck of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May 2020. The incident happened in broad daylight and was captured in real-time. It reminded African Americans and other people of migrant backgrounds, including refugees in the USA and further afield, of the critical importance of speaking up, ensuring that their voice is heard.  It also reminded minority communities, including refugees, of the importance of building alliances with people, voluntary sector organisations and other social partners in their countries of residence. For refugees, in particular, the message was loud and clear; integration based on common- understanding, that promotes equality and is measured through the lens of equity is vital in ensuring systemic inclusion. The experience of African Americans viewed through the lens of the experience of George Floyd, among other similar experiences, offers the opportunity to reflect on the 401 years of unsuccessful integration of African Americans in the USA.  The ineffective incorporation goes as far back the arrival of the first shipment of slaves in the USA in 1619 as articulated by Rev Al Sharpton at one of George Floyd’s funeral services. In essence, the exclusion of ethnic minorities leads to social inequalities which are challenging to address. These social and racial inequalities have consequences as highlighted in the UK and the United States by the COVID-19 pandemic that affected minority ethnic communities disproportionately. Such experiences make it imperative to ensure that ethnic minorities voices are aired and heard.

The Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership teamed up with our partner KIRON to host a webinar on 19 June 2020. The subject of the webinar was giving a voice to refugees. The audience had a chance to hear about Kensika Monshengwo’s experience as a refugee leader in Ireland in the late 1990s. He spoke about the social practices of refugee leaders under the banner of the Association of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Ireland (ARASI) that ensured that the refugee's voice is heard in a country where immigration was a new phenomenon. Mr Monshengwo’s experience covered the time long before the refugee voluntary sector was formalised and fully operationalised in Ireland. He discussed the importance of alliance-building, personal development, good communications and collaborative leadership.

Additionally, we heard from two refugee leaders based in Lebanon. Khalil Al Doughaiman and Baraa Al Naboulsi. They shared their experiences as leaders in their communities; they reiterated the importance of alliance building and working with local community leaders in promoting refugees’ integration. They also highlighted the importance of leadership development and learning the languages spoken and enhancing their intercultural competences.  The three speakers made a case for capacity building and leadership development among the refugee leaders. CVSL is playing its part in supporting leadership development through its resources and free courses.

In Milton Keynes, Refugee Week 2020 was concluded by the unveiling of the World Refugee Day Pillar at The MK Rose by the Mayor of Milton Keynes, Councillor Andrew Geary and Mayoress Lisa Geary. World Refugee Day “was created to raise awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world and to help support them”. The unveiling of the pillar was another step in Milton Keynes’ celebration of its diversity.

6th July 2020