Is the Global Compact on Refugees Fit for Africa’s Purposes?

The document examines the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), arguing that while they offer a progressive 'whole of society' approach to refugee integration, their non-binding nature and flawed funding mechanisms hinder their effectiveness in Africa. It highlights a gap between liberal policy and implementation in South Africa and the failure of the CRRF in Tanzania due to financial burdens. The authors advocate for a results-based management system and a stronger link between security, development, and migration to address the root causes of displacement on the continent.

• The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) are non-binding, which the authors identify as a critical limitation that prevents accountability and allows states to ignore commitments without penalty.
• Funding mechanisms for the CRRF, specifically the World Bank's IDA18 and GCFF, are criticized for requiring loans that increase the debt of developing countries already burdened by hosting refugees.
• South Africa possesses a progressive legal framework and a non-encampment policy, but suffers from a massive implementation gap, including a backlog of 150,000 to 184,200 asylum applications.
• South Africa is moving toward a more restrictive refugee regime through the 2017 White Paper on International Migration and the Border Management Authority Bill, which propose encampment and processing centres.
• Tanzania withdrew from the CRRF in 2018 due to underfunding and social pressures, and has historically used an encampment approach that restricts freedom of movement and fuels dependency.
• Africa is disproportionately affected by forced displacement, hosting more than 26% of the global refugee population and containing half of the world's 20 most violent conflicts.
• The authors argue that for the GCR to succeed in Africa, it must address a 'security–migration–development nexus' rather than treating migration and development in isolation.
• The UNHCR is encouraged to implement a results-based refugee management system to track the effectiveness of services and the actual impact on refugees' lives rather than just counting numbers.

APA

MLAUZI, K., & SMALL, D. M. (2019). Is the Global Compact on Refugees Fit for Africa’s Purposes? South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Occasional-Paper-302-Small-Mlauzi.pdf

Chicago

MLAUZI, KATE, and DR MICHELLE SMALL. Is the Global Compact on Refugees Fit for Africa’s Purposes? South African Institute of International Affairs, 2019. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Occasional-Paper-302-Small-Mlauzi.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=MLAUZI |first1=KATE |last2=SMALL |first2=DR MICHELLE |title=Is the Global Compact on Refugees Fit for Africa’s Purposes? |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=October 2019 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Occasional-Paper-302-Small-Mlauzi.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mlauzi2019global, author = {MLAUZI, KATE and SMALL, DR MICHELLE}, title = {{Is the Global Compact on Refugees Fit for Africa’s Purposes?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2019}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Occasional-Paper-302-Small-Mlauzi.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }