Science and Development Forum

In 2015, more than 60 million people have been displaced by violent conflicts—this is the highest rate since World War II. In many cases, displaced persons are forced to stay in camps for decades, prohibiting them from returning home and resuming a normal life. Living under uncertain legal conditions and often denied basic rights in their host countries, they are usually not allowed to work, to move freely, and typically lack adequate political participation.

Migration represents both an opportunity and a challenge. While well-managed migration may foster progress and welfare in origin as well as destination countries, its mismanagement may put social cohesion and security at risk. Successful and efficient policy-making on migration must be based on empirical findings and scientific debate. However, despite the extensive debate surrounding the topic in the media, research on the impact of the existing policies on immigrants or the communities in which they reside is often lacking.

The Science and Development Forum Forced migration: Research and Policy brings together scholars from different disciplines to discuss current academic research on the topic, from the ethics of migration to evidence-based policy research and managerial improvements in refugee camps. In a second part, representatives from different international and governmental policy organisations and NGOs will challenge the scientific presentations based on their experiences in the field. The regional focus of the conference is on the Syrian crisis and the refugee movements to Turkey and Europe.