Refugees and the regional dynamics of peacebuilding

He is author of Refugees, the State and the Politics of Asylum in Africa and co-author of UNHCR: The Politics and Practice of Refugee Protection in the 2006–2008 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Twenty-First Century. [...] The paper argues that the presence of “spoilers” in refugee-populated areas and the potential for early and forced refugee repatriation have the potential to undermine peacebuilding efforts, while the experience of exile may enable refugees to contribute to various stages of the peacebuilding process. [...] More generally, the section argues that the presence of “spoilers” in refugee-populated areas and the potential for early and forced repatriation by the country of asylum have the proven potential to undermine peacebuilding efforts, while the experience of exile may enable refugees to contribute to various stages of the peacebuilding process. [...] In considering the various tools at the disposal of the UN in responding to the new security environment, the Secretary-General added “peacebuilding” to the more established activities of preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, and peacekeeping. [...] The treatment of these and similar cases by the PBC, and the sustained political and donor interest the PBC hopes to generate, could provide a unique opportunity to engage the full spectrum of stakeholders required to formulate and implement comprehensive solutions, not only for peacebuilding and post-conflict recovery in the countries of origin but also for resolving the related refugee situation