Foreign Territory

European Union asylum policy is shifting overseas. The politicization of asylum-related issues and the desire to "manage migration" are the forces behind a wave of new internationalized initiatives which could have a serious impact on the lives of refugees. This mixed agenda has the potential to enhance as well as threaten refugees' safety and dignity, but at present it includes inadequate safeguards for their protection, and it is insufficiently informed by an understanding of the realities of their lives.

Because these policies are moving from the domain of home affairs into the arena of foreign policy and aid, this report is aimed at a wide range of readers in the EU and in refugees' countries and regions of origin and transit:

* official policymakers on asylum and migration, and on foreign affairs and development;

* staff of international agencies and NGOs, representatives of refugee groups, and experts on asylum and on humanitarian, development, and foreign affairs.

The authors draw on the experience of Oxfam GB in Europe and in refugee situations worldwide. Policy analysis is interwoven with original research into refugee realities in Sri Lanka, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania, drawing lessons from the conditions there and bringing in the voices of refugees, returnees, and internally displaced persons, who are so often excluded from the debate.

The report presents an agenda for action to ensure that the internationalization of asylum policy pays full regard to the rights and protection of individuals.