A Call to Action: An Agenda for Canadian-German Cooperation to Strengthen the International Refugee & Migration System
Published: Fall 2021 | Volume 69, No. 28

Summary

Burgeoning refugee crises and rising global instability have prompted the need for high-income countries to act decisively to promote an international refugee and migration regime that protects the most vulnerable. Heinbecker and Hampson call on the Canadian and German governments to continue rejecting nativist sentiments and find the political will to constructively engage on efforts to improve financing, accountability, technology access, and local engagement for refugees and migrants globally. Specifically, Heinbecker and Hampson emphasize the need for strengthened responsibility-sharing for refugees and internally-displaced people, greater attention paid to internal displacement, the creation of a broad-based network of active partners, and the utilization of frozen assets of human rights violators to assist migrants and refugees.

Authors

Paul Heinbecker
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Paul Heinbecker is the deputy chair of the World Refugee & Migration Council. With a distinguished career in Canadian diplomacy — including posts as ambassador to Germany, permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), and adviser to various prime ministers, Paul Heinbecker is one of Canada’s most experienced commentators on foreign policy and international governance.

Fen Osler Hampson
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Fen Osler Hampson is the President of the World Refugee & Migration Council. He is a former Director of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) (2000-2012). He is currently the Chancellor’s Professor and Professor of International Affairs in the School. Professor Hampson also served as Director of the Global Commission on Internet Governance (GCIG).