North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), with its strong urbanization, cultural variety and openness, is one of the areas in Germany and Europe that attract refugees the most. Its society has been shaped by the continued inflow of (forced) migrants for decades. Refugees will be playing an important role in the societal change of NRW, an important topic of research earmarked by the Ministry of Science in NRW in its research strategy on progress in NRW.

With a focus on the state of NRW, this research project deals with four aspects of refugee flight: lines of conflict between refugees abroad and their countries of origin, chances for conflict prevention in refugee camps, examples of long-term integration of refugees in NRW and the question of how refugees can be involved in the peace processes in their home countries.

Financed by the state of NRW, it will analyse the risks posed to refugees and host communities by displacement, life in host countries and the prospects of return. Equally, this project also aims to show the potential of conflict management, local integration and international networking amongst refugees, thus intending to foster sustainable refugee policies and to expand on existing approaches to research on displacement in Germany.

Module 1: Conflict prevention in refugee shelters (pdf, in German/English)

• Policy recommendations in eight languages for refugees in NRW

Module 2: Continuity or dis-continuity of conflicts among refugees in NRW (pdf, in German/English)

Module 3: Successful integration? Long-term life histories of refugees in NRW (pdf, in German/English)

Module 4: Peace negotiations, refugee rights and resources in the Syrian and Afghan peace processes (pdf, in English)