Forced migration and social cohesion: What can we learn from societal dynamics in Ghana and Mozambique?

Event Type
Policy dialogue

Location / Date
Bonn and online, 23.10.2024

The event was supported by the cooperation project Forced Migration and Refugee Studies: Networking and Knowledge Transfer (FFVT) at IDOS, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The event built on research partnerships and data generated in the Social Cohesion in Displacement Contexts project at IDOS, financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

In this international policy dialogue event, we discussed how social cohesion plays out among displaced persons and local communities in Ghana and Mozambique. Based on field research and together with our local research partners and civil society organisations, we examined the impacts of conflict and climate-induced displacement on social cohesion and derived implications for German and international policymakers.

The objective of this event was to better understand the suitability of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability’s (IDOS) conceptualisation of social cohesion and possible limitations in displacement contexts. Social cohesion, consisting of the three attributes cooperation for the common good, trust, and inclusive identity, involves both horizontal relations (between individuals and groups) and vertical relations (between individuals and the state). In the case studies, we explore how displaced persons and locals navigate cooperation, trust, and identity among each other and in relation to the state. First insights point to the importance of context, i.e. historical and geographical contexts, and drivers of displacement. The findings also suggest potential contradictions between conceptual expectations and the lived realities, for example the ambiguity of a host/displaced person binary in situations where the lines are often blurred, not only biographically and spatially but also due to the absence of land rights.

These insights from development research intend to inform context-specific policies and civil society initiatives aimed at strengthening social cohesion. The event provided policymakers and civil society organisations with valuable perspectives on community perceptions and resilience in displacement contexts and an international networking opportunity.

Format

The event was a moderated, interactive session with short impulse statements by the panellists, followed by a conversation among the panellists, before all other participants were invited to join the discussion with questions and comments.

The role of NGOs for social cohesion in displacement contexts

Welcome

Panel discussion

• Salifu Abdulmujib (People's Dialogue on Human Settlements, Ghana)
• Stella Effah (FFVT Fellow at IDOS; Center for Migration Studies, University of Ghana, Ghana)
• Dr Salvador Forquilha (FFVT Fellow at IDOS; Institute for Social and Economic Studies (IESE), Mozambique)
• Maria Dolores Martinez de la Ballina (Caritas Diocese of Nacala, Mozambique)

Moderation

• Dr Susan Ekoh, IDOS

Reactions and open discussion

Get together with coffee, tea and sweets

Hinweis

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