Authors: Nazanine Nozarian (ICMPD), Madeleine Hoeld (ICMPD), Sabeth Kessler (ICMPD), Nassim Majidi (Samuel Hall), Juliette Samman (Samuel Hall), Lisa Pfister (Samuel Hall), Marta Rocha (Samuel Hall), Daniel Provost (Samuel Hall)
This policy brief synthesises research findings from the working paper “Discourse and Policies: Silencing Returnees and the Need for More Inclusive Return Policies”. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in Georgia, Iraq, Nigeria and Türkiye, the brief explores how dominant narratives and discourses disconnect returnees from return and reintegration policies.
Despite the emphasis placed on return within EU migration management strategies, existing policies often fail to address the lived realities of returnees. They frequently result in exclusion, stigma, and in some cases, inefficient migration management outcomes. As the research highlights, prevailing return policies often silence returnees, overlooking their agency and perspectives.
The brief argues that by shifting away from dominant “crisis” narratives and embracing alternative discourses – such as solidarity and development-transnational discourses – there are real opportunities to humanise return policymaking and create more sustainable, legitimate solutions. Inclusive policymaking must centre returnees’ experiences, enable participatory approaches, and ensure that return policies are developed with, and not just for, returnees.
Key recommendations focus on enhancing meaningful engagement of returnees in policymaking processes, strengthening operational strategies to meet returnees’ needs, and improving communication channels to bridge the gap between policy and practice.
The policy brief offers practical, actionable steps for policymakers and practitioners seeking to develop return and reintegration frameworks that are more effective, human-centred, and grounded in the realities of returnees themselves.