Both refugees and their hosts want refugee economic and socio-cultural integration but not political integration
Speaker: Mark Marvin Kadigo
Refugee local integration is one of the three traditional durable solutions to the global refugee crisis. However, unlike voluntary repatriation which has long been the preferred option of UNHCR and many states, local integration has received limited attention both globally and in academic discourse. With repatriation increasingly unfeasible and resettlement opportunities shrinking, there is a renewed urgency to reconsider the relative importance of refugee local integration as a durable solution, particularly in protracted refugee situations. This study focuses on Uganda, which hosts the highest number of refugees in Sub-Saharan Africa and is widely recognized for its progressive refugee policies. While Uganda’s refugee model has been examined, little attention has been paid to the perspectives of both refugees and host communities on refugee local integration. Using a mixed-methods approach that includes a conjoint experiment and in-depth interviews, this research compares the preferences of Ugandan hosts and refugees regarding refugee local integration as a durable solution. The findings reveal that both groups generally support the social-cultural and economic aspects of local integration, but are less favourable toward political/legal integration, including granting citizenship. Notably, refugees are less likely than Ugandans to support citizenship for refugees, a finding that challenges dominant academic assumptions. The study sheds light on the nuanced views and motivations behind these preferences, offering valuable insights into refugee local integration as a durable solution.