Legal avenues for asylum and better resettlement: Redefining migration policies

With such high levels of migration into Europe — the highest since World War II — there are many discussions about the need to create policies that put human rights at the center. So what do migration policies look like in practical terms?

In this video interview, Peter Van der Auweraert, head of the land, property and reparations division at the International Organization for Migration, told Devex about the need for actors across Europe to increase the legal avenues for migration.

As long there are no legal avenues, but the push factors remain the same, people are almost forced to continue using the irregular routes, he told Devex on the sidelines of the 32nd Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, Switzerland.

In this clip, Van der Auweraert discusses the challenges around the reallocation of humanitarian and development assistance, resettlement policies, and the need to work with Syria’s neighboring countries to help alleviate the burden.

Across Borders is a monthlong online conversation hosted by Devex and partners — World Vision, the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department, the U.S. nonprofit partner of the International Organization for Migration and United Nations Volunteers — to analyze and amplify the discussion on global migration and current refugee crises through the lens of global security, development cooperation and humanitarian aid work, and more. Visit the campaign site and join the conversation on social media tagging @devex and #AcrossBorders.