Implications for Policy

• Author: Roland Clarke and Djimet Dogo
• Pages: 170-171

170 Roland Clarke and Djimet Dogo

We offer several recommendations for policy that we believe will allow for greater

success in the resettlement of diaspora communities. These recommendations

center around a core belief that more attention needs to be given to the impor-

tance of historical and unresolved community issues. Providing space, resources,

and context for the reconciliation and community‐building processes in diaspora

communities is essential, both for their successful reintegration and for the ability

of the hosting community to engage with them more effectively. It is for the sake

of both the people in these communities and those in the local contexts that we

hope these recommendations can be adopted at local, regional, and national levels.

By doing so, we can help inform and strengthen capacity‐building programs in

immigrant and refugee communities and create a new generation of community

leaders and peacebuilders among the diaspora.

What has become increasingly clear through the work of this project is that historical

and communal conflicts are not addressed in current policy and community inter-

vention efforts attempting to integrate immigrants and refugees into host societies.

Since these conflicts are typically what led these populations to migrate in the first

place, they can greatly impede successful resettlement. Immigrants and refugees from

war‐torn countries enter the diaspora with no preparation for unanticipated issues

upon their arrival, including the struggles inherent in intergroup conflicts. In addition

to struggling with unresolved historical conflicts, these populations have reported a

limited ability to organize, participate, socialize, and engage effectively as groups in

local civic activity. We strongly believe that addressing the communal issues between

diaspora populations will not only allow for the healing of historical wounds, but will

also create greater chances of resettlement success.

1. Conflict Resolution, Dialogue, and Reconciliation Programs: We strongly

recommend that conflict resolution efforts be integrated into refugee resettle-

ment programs. Through efforts at reconciliation, communities can work in a

more unified manner to address the challenges of living as refuges and immi-

grants in a new land. Community meetings or dialogue opportunities would

ideally be made available to community members after they have had time to

settle and adjust to their new contexts. From our research and practice, we have

found that community members are best served by these processes after they

have lived in the diaspora for a minimum of six months.

2. Funding: We recommend that funding be made available to institutions that can

work in collaboration with immigrant and refugee organizations in order to

provide conflict resolution, dialogue, and reconciliation services to diaspora

communities. If funding for these processes were made an integral part of

refugee services, then community organizations serving these populations could

build capacity and expertise within their own organizations as a core dimension

to service provision. Optimally, funding would support capacity‐building efforts

for community members who could be trained in these areas and then work

within their own communities.