Bridging Global Protocols and Local Wisdom: Innovating Refugee Assistance Through a Harmonized Protection Model
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22437/home.v7i1.181Keywords:
Empowerment, Legitimacy, Local Faith Actors, Humanitarian Approach, IntegrationAbstract
This paper examines the critical need to integrate the Global Protection Cluster (GPC) approach with local knowledge to improve the effectiveness of refugee aid programs. It analyses the foundational principles of the GPC method in conjunction with the valuable insights provided by indigenous knowledge systems, proposing a comprehensive model to align global strategies with local realities. The study highlights the multifaceted advantages of this integrated approach through an extensive literature review and illustrative case studies from various contexts, including Afghanistan, Jordan, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. Particular emphasis is placed on the Rohingya refugee situation in Aceh, which serves as a pivotal case study demonstrating the transformative potential of incorporating local wisdom into program design. The paper advocates for a participatory model that prioritizes the active involvement of displaced communities in decision-making processes, ensuring that aid programs are culturally competent and responsive to refugees' specific needs. Key recommendations are provided for a wide range of stakeholders—policymakers, practitioners, organizations, and donors—emphasizing the importance of collaborative partnerships, adaptive program design, and community-led initiatives. The findings suggest that by embracing local knowledge and fostering inclusive participation, refugee aid programs can achieve greater sustainability and effectiveness, ultimately contributing to more resilient and empowered displaced populations.
References
Acosta, Paulina, and Nuria Chica, ‘Psychosocial Support to Foster Social Cohesion between Refugee and Host Communities in Jordan’, Intervention, 16.2 (2018), p. 147, doi:10.4103/INTV.INTV_40_18
Adwani, Adwani, Rosmawati Rosmawati, and M. Ya’kub Aiyub Kadir, ‘The Responsibility in Protecting the Rohingya Refugees in Aceh Province, Indonesia: An International Refugees Law Perspective’, IIUM Law Journal, 29.S2 (2021), pp. 1–21, doi:10.31436/iiumlj.v29i(S2).677
Alemi, Qais, Sigrid James, Romalene Cruz, Veronica Zepeda, and Michael Racadio, ‘Psychological Distress in Afghan Refugees: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review’, Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 16.6 (2014), pp. 1247–61, doi:10.1007/s10903-013-9861-1
AlHeresh, Rawan, Wendy Bryant, and Margo Holm, ‘Community-Based Rehabilitation in Jordan: Challenges to Achieving Occupational Justice’, Disability and Rehabilitation, 35.21 (2013), pp. 1848–52, doi:10.3109/09638288.2012.756944
Al-Nammari, Fatima, ‘Participatory Urban Upgrading and Power: Lessons Learnt from a Pilot Project in Jordan’, Habitat International, 39 (2013), pp. 224–31, doi:10.1016/j.habitatint.2013.01.001
Altay, N., and M. Labonte, ‘Humanitarian Logistics and the Cluster Approach: Global Shifts and the U.S. Perspective’, 2011 <https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Humanitarian-Logistics-and-the-Cluster-Approach%3A-Altay-Labonte/0f304da57a015a4a7a851141454b7c165c59e30c> [accessed 11 March 2024]
Badwi, Ehab, ‘Integration and Participation of Refugees and Migrants: Building Inclusive Societies’, Medium, 2023 <https://ehab-badwi.medium.com/integration-and-participation-of-refugees-and-migrants-building-inclusive-societies-9b806ef772c0> [accessed 3 March 2024]
Bakewell, Oliver, ‘Uncovering Local Perspectives on Humanitarian Assistance and Its Outcomes’, Disasters, 24.2 (2000), pp. 103–16, doi:10.1111/1467-7717.00136
Bardy, Roland, Rubens Arthur, and Akolgo Azupogo Helen, ‘Combining Indigenous Wisdom and Academic Knowledge to Build Sustainable Future: An Example from Rural Africa’, Journal of African Studies and Development, 10.2 (2018), pp. 8–18, doi:10.5897/JASD2017.0481
Bellino, Michelle J., and Sarah Dryden-Peterson, ‘Inclusion and Exclusion within a Policy of National Integration: Refugee Education in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp’, British Journal of Sociology of Education, 40.2 (2019), pp. 222–38, doi:10.1080/01425692.2018.1523707
Binkert, Eva, Merlin Flaig, Frucht Lukas, Jörn Grävingholt, Jannis König, Kuhnt Jana, and others, ‘Local Governments and the Sustainable Integration of Refugees in Ethiopia’, Discussion Paper, 2021, doi:10.23661/DP21.2021
Bolton, Matthew, and Thomas Nash, ‘The Role of Middle Power–NGO Coalitions in Global Policy: The Case of the Cluster Munitions Ban’, Global Policy, 1.2 (2010), pp. 172–84, doi:10.1111/j.1758-5899.2009.00015.x
Bryson, John M., Barbara C. Crosby, and Melissa Middleton Stone, ‘The Design and Implementation of Cross‐Sector Collaborations: Propositions from the Literature’, Public Administration Review, 66.s1 (2006), pp. 44–55, doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00665.x
Burde, D., ‘Weak State, Strong Community? Promoting Community Participation in Post-Conflict Countries.’, Current Issues in Comparative Education, 2004 <https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Weak-State%2C-Strong-Community-Promoting-Community-in-Burde/1ca269ab8025b94060b0be365b021cdca87c409b> [accessed 11 March 2024]
Chimhowu, Admos O., David Hulme, and Lauchlan T. Munro, ‘The “New” National Development Planning and Global Development Goals: Processes and Partnerships’, World Development, 120 (2019), pp. 76–89, doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.03.013
Chin, Tachia, Jianwei Meng, Shouyang Wang, Yi Shi, and Jianxin Zhang, ‘Cross-Cultural Metacognition as a Prior for Humanitarian Knowledge: When Cultures Collide in Global Health Emergencies’, Journal of Knowledge Management, 26.1 (2022), pp. 88–101, doi:10.1108/JKM-10-2020-0787
Cleveland, Janet, Cécile Rousseau, and Jaswant Guzder, ‘Cultural Consultation for Refugees’, in Cultural Consultation: Encountering the Other in Mental Health Care, ed. by Laurence J. Kirmayer, Jaswant Guzder, and Cécile Rousseau, International and Cultural Psychology (Springer, 2014), pp. 245–68, doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-7615-3_12
‘Coordination and Collaboration with the GPC: The next 5 Years’ <https://phap.org/PHAP/PHAP/Events/OEV2019/OEV191126.aspx> [accessed 3 March 2024]
Côté, Daniel, ‘Intercultural Communication in Health Care: Challenges and Solutions in Work Rehabilitation Practices and Training: A Comprehensive Review’, Disability and Rehabilitation, 35.2 (2013), pp. 153–63, doi:10.3109/09638288.2012.687034
Crosby, Sondra S., ‘Primary Care Management of Non–English-Speaking Refugees Who Have Experienced Trauma: A Clinical Review’, JAMA, 310.5 (2013), p. 519, doi:10.1001/jama.2013.8788
Dearden, P., Michelle R. Bennett, and J. Johnston, ‘Trends in Global Protected Area Governance’, 2005 <https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Trends-in-Global-Protected-Area-Governance-Dearden-Bennett/41fa54ee1c045860a072e695df96ce1632b96374> [accessed 10 March 2024]
Devas, Nick, and Ursula Grant, ‘Local Government Decision‐making—Citizen Participation and Local Accountability: Some Evidence from Kenya and Uganda’, Public Administration and Development, 23.4 (2003), pp. 307–16, doi:10.1002/pad.281
Dryden-Peterson, Sarah, Negin Dahya, and Elizabeth Adelman, ‘Pathways to Educational Success Among Refugees: Connecting Locally and Globally Situated Resources’, American Educational Research Journal, 54.6 (2017), pp. 1011–47, doi:10.3102/0002831217714321
Edwards, Michael, David Hulme, and Tina Wallace, ‘NGOs in a Global Future: Marrying Local Delivery to Worldwide Leverage’, Public Administration and Development, 19.2 (1999), pp. 117–36, doi:10.1002/(SICI)1099-162X(199905)19:2<117::AID-PAD70>3.0.CO;2-S
‘Evaluation of UNHCR’s Leadership of the Global Protection Cluster and Field Protection Clusters: 2014-2016’, Itad <https://www.itad.com/knowledge-product/evaluation-of-unhcrs-leadership-of-the-global-protection-cluster-and-field-protection-clusters-2014-2016/> [accessed 10 March 2024]
Farahi-Ashtiani, Iman, Zohreh Ghomian, Davoud Pirani, and Bayram Nejati-Zarnaqi, ‘Cluster Approach Model for Promoting Coordination in Humanitarian Aid; Following the Kermanshah Earthquake, Iran, 2017’, Trauma Monthly, 25.6 (2020), doi:10.30491/tm.2020.255724.1196
Fatmawati, Dinar, ‘Islam and Local Wisdom in Indonesia’, Journal of Sosial Science, 2.1 (2021), pp. 20–28, doi:10.46799/jsss.v2i1.82
Fauzan, Fauzan, Helmi Helmi, Zulkifli Harza, and Sri Oktavia, ‘Capacity Building and Market Intervention for Refugees: A Study of Current and Future Direction towards Sustainable Refugee Management’, Andalas Journal of International Studies (AJIS), 9.1 (2020), p. 48, doi:10.25077/ajis.9.1.48-60.2020
Francis, Paul, and Robert James, ‘Balancing Rural Poverty Reduction and Citizen Participation: The Contradictions of Uganda’s Decentralization Program’, World Development, 31.2 (2003), pp. 325–37, doi:10.1016/S0305-750X(02)00190-0
Gómez, Oscar A., ‘Localisation or Deglobalisation? East Asia and the Dismantling of Liberal Humanitarianism’, Third World Quarterly, 42.6 (2021), pp. 1347–64, doi:10.1080/01436597.2021.1890994
Goodkind, Jessica R., and Pennie G. Foster‐Fishman, ‘Integrating Diversity and Fostering Interdependence: Ecological Lessons Learned about Refugee Participation in Multiethnic Communities’, Journal of Community Psychology, 30.4 (2002), pp. 389–409, doi:10.1002/jcop.10012
Grace, J., and E. D. Mooney, ‘Peacebuilding through the Electoral Participation of Displaced Populations’, Refugee Survey Quarterly, 28.1 (2009), pp. 95–121, doi:10.1093/rsq/hdp012
Greene, M. Claire, Mark J. D. Jordans, Brandon A. Kohrt, Peter Ventevogel, Laurence J. Kirmayer, Ghayda Hassan, and others, ‘Addressing Culture and Context in Humanitarian Response: Preparing Desk Reviews to Inform Mental Health and Psychosocial Support’, Conflict and Health, 11.1 (2017), p. 21, doi:10.1186/s13031-017-0123-z
Groen, Simon P. N., Annemiek Richters, Cornelis J. Laban, and Walter L. J. M. Devillé, ‘Cultural Identity Among Afghan and Iraqi Traumatized Refugees: Towards a Conceptual Framework for Mental Health Care Professionals’, Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, 42.1 (2018), pp. 69–91, doi:10.1007/s11013-016-9514-7
Harley, Tristan, and Harry Hobbs, ‘The Meaningful Participation of Refugees in Decision-Making Processes: Questions of Law and Policy’, International Journal of Refugee Law, 32.2 (2020), pp. 200–226, doi:10.1093/ijrl/eeaa010
Harvey, Nina R., and Stephanie T. Wynn, ‘Simulating the Refugee Experience to Cultivate Cultural Competence and Sensitivity’, Journal of Christian Nursing, 39.1 (2022), pp. 47–51, doi:10.1097/CNJ.0000000000000822
Herrera, Veronica, ‘Reconciling Global Aspirations and Local Realities: Challenges Facing the Sustainable Development Goals for Water and Sanitation’, World Development, 118 (2019), pp. 106–17, doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.02.009
Hesk, G., and S. Turner, ‘Our Home Our Salford Conference (Organiser): Community Education on the Health and Wellbeing of Refugees and Migrants’, 2013 <https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Our-home-our-Salford-conference-(organiser)%3A-on-the-Hesk-Turner/f6c8fa9b6862897fca449f6029f373f7beb65d2e> [accessed 3 March 2024]
Horst, C., ‘A Monopoly on Assistance: International Aid to Refugee Camps and the Neglected Role of the Somali Diaspora’, Africa Spectrum, 2008 <https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/A-monopoly-on-assistance%3A-International-aid-to-and-Horst/0a8f54b17e75c8d3a1731430ae61bb815ed010c8> [accessed 10 March 2024]
Hynie, Michaela, ‘Refugee Integration: Research and Policy.’, Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 24.3 (2018), pp. 265–76, doi:10.1037/pac0000326
Jahre, Marianne, and Leif‐Magnus Jensen, ‘Coordination in Humanitarian Logistics through Clusters’, ed. by Peter Tatham, International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 40.8/9 (2010), pp. 657–74, doi:10.1108/09600031011079319
Khadiagala, Lynn, ‘The Failure of Popular Justice in Uganda: Local Councils and Women’s Property Rights’, Development and Change, 32.1 (2001), pp. 55–76, doi:10.1111/1467-7660.00196
Kienzler, Hanna, Cameron Spence, and Thomas Wenzel, ‘A Culture-Sensitive and Person-Centred Approach: Understanding and Evaluating Cultural Factors, Social Background and History When Working with Refugees’, ed. by Thomas Wenzel and Boris Drožđek, 2019, pp. 101–16, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-72914-5_5
Lau, Ling San, and Graeme Rodgers, ‘Cultural Competence in Refugee Service Settings: A Scoping Review’, Health Equity, 5.1 (2021), pp. 124–34, doi:10.1089/heq.2020.0094
Li, Yao, ‘Exclusion from Protection as a Refugee: An Approach to a Harmonizing Interpretation in International Law’, in Exclusion from Protection as a Refugee (Brill Nijhoff, 2017) <https://brill.com/display/title/35136> [accessed 3 March 2024]
Libal, Kathryn, and Scott Harding, ‘Humanitarian Alliances: Local and International NGO Partnerships and the Iraqi Refugee Crisis’, Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 9.2 (2011), pp. 162–78, doi:10.1080/15562948.2011.567153
Malahayati, Malahayati, Laila Rasyid, and Hadi Iskandar, ‘Minimum Protection of Rohingya Refugees (A Moral Approach in Aceh)’, 2019 <https://eudl.eu/doi/10.4108/eai.5-9-2018.2280979> [accessed 3 February 2024]
Mehraby, N., ‘Counselling Afghanistan Torture and Trauma Survivors’, Psychotherapy in Australia, 2002 <https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Counselling-Afghanistan-Torture-and-Trauma-Mehraby/d2853dba108de6780e81660b8a8ce52c17ad0880> [accessed 11 March 2024]
Mitlin, D., and D. Satterthwaite, ‘Empowering Squatter Citizen: Local Government, Civil Society and Urban Poverty Reduction’, 2004 <https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Empowering-Squatter-Citizen%3A-Local-Government%2C-and-Mitlin-Satterthwaite/ae5b27150bf26fdec76092791aec64450424f048> [accessed 11 March 2024]
Nazzal, Kristel Heidi, Marzieh Forghany, M. Charis Geevarughese, Venus Mahmoodi, and Jorge Wong, ‘An Innovative Community-Oriented Approach to Prevention and Early Intervention with Refugees in the United States.’, Psychological Services, 11.4 (2014), pp. 477–85, doi:10.1037/a0037964
O’Dowd, T. John, ‘Mutual Recognition in European Immigration Policy: Harmonised Protection or Co-Ordinated Exclusion?’ (2010) <https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1582459> [accessed 28 August 2023]
