Washington, D.C. — A new report from the Center for American Progress calls on the United States to adopt a rights-centered paradigm for global protection of people who are forcibly displaced from their homes by focusing on the underlying human rights violations that force people to flee.

The United Nations estimates that at least 100 million people were forcibly displaced from their homes from 2010 to 2019 — from violence, persecution, climate disasters, extreme poverty, or other factors beyond their control. Only 3.9 million refugees returned to their home country, while just 1 million were resettled in a new state. Some experts predict that displacement could increase to as many as 320 million people over the next decade.

But the international system built to protect the forcibly displaced is falling short due to gaps in the current framework and the failure of many countries to uphold their basic obligations under international law, the report says. It urges the United States to address the root causes of forced migration, get ahead of migration flows, lean into global cooperation, and lead by example.

“A Biden-Harris administration should lead the international community in delivering a comprehensive, human rights-centered solution to this shared global challenge,” said Elisa Massimino, a senior fellow at CAP. “That leadership begins by rebuilding a working resettlement system at home, restoring asylum protections, and pressing other countries to abide by their commitments to support a global system that delivers on the promise of protection for all.”

Improvements to the system would pay dividends to the United States by helping promote regional peace and stability, strengthening alliances and partners, and fulfilling legal obligations, the report says.

Read the report: “A Rights-Centered Paradigm for Protecting the Forcibly Displaced” by Elisa Massimino and Alexandra Schmitt

For more information or to talk to an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at ‮g​r​o​.​s​s​e​r​g​o​r​p​n​a​c​i​r​e​m​a​@​l​e​n​a​n​a​h​s‭ or 202-478-6327.