Whose Responsibility? Accountability for Refugee Protection and Solutions in a Whole-of-Society Approach

The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants and its annex, the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) adopted at the September 2016 UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants, call for a new way of working on refugee response. It is about engaging a wide array of stakeholders through a whole-of-society approach to initiate long-term planning for solutions early on in an emergency, integrate refugees into national development plans, and build on refugee inclusion and self-reliance while benefitting host communities. While the state of the world’s refugee protection regime is in urgent need of improvement, a new way of working in response to refugees can however pose risks as well as opportunities. Commissioned by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) to HERE-Geneva, this report explores the opportunities and risks for accountability in the specific context of a so-called whole-of-society approach. The analysis aims to shed light on what it takes for the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) to result in positive changes – better protection and solutions outcomes – for refugees and host communities, and how potential risks associated with this change process can be mitigated. It expresses a commitment to understand the forthcoming changes and to make the best of them for refugees and their host communities.