Book Description

This report is the second of a series on emergencies and disaster relief published by the Swedish International Development Authority and the Nordic Africa Institute. It contains two papers that focus on some longer term impacts of refugee and migrant worker flows which have implications for the way humanitarian relief is conceptualised and planned. The first is an overview of migrant worker and refugee flows in Sub-Saharan Africa. It suggests that the negative impact of exporting male workers from rural households has been overemphasised. While there is psychological stress from family separations and the spread of Aids is associated with labour migration, such movements can also be viewed as a capital accumulation strategy which financially benefits the sending households without necessarily leading to a drop in their agricultural production and as vital foreign exchange for the sending country through incoming remittances. It also suggests that the presence of refugees is not necessarily an economic burden for the host country. Refugees may, as a labour source and as consumers, contribute to development. The second paper reviews the literature on shelter and settlement strategies for refugees. It advocates a conceptual approach which is developmental rather than relief-oriented, an approach which integrates refugees' and hosts' needs and puts emphasis on tackling the long term consequences of mass forced migration. Current practice is critically appraised to draw out the lessons of best practice and find alternatives to encampment style shelter. The author does not believe that the integrated planning and durable housing which he advocates would dissuade refugees from repatriating.