Behmer-Prinz and Rosenow present at Lecture Series by PK NRW

IFHV's Co-General Manager and Senior Researcher Dr. Katharina Behmer-Prinz, and Associated Member Prof. Dr. Kerstin Rosenow-Williams (HBRS), together with Dr. Alina Bergedieck, held a lecture on the topic of “Sustainability in migration governance: The role of minimum standards for the protection of refugees in shared accommodation” at Promotionskolleg NRW. The lecture took place on 24 May 2024, 10 a.m., as part of a lecture series by the Department of Social Affairs and Health.

The presentation analyzed the establishment of local protection standards in the accommodation of refugees and the current status of implementation of the “Minimum Standards for the Protection of Refugees in Refugee Accommodation” (UNICEF/BMFSFJ 2020). The minimum standards were initiated in 2016 by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Germany, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) and a total of 30 non-governmental organizations from the field of refugee aid and have been regularly expanded and adapted since then. Nevertheless, the minimum protection standards are still mostly a voluntary normative framework due to the lack of legally binding and uniform standards in the accommodation of refugees in Germany, with negative consequences, especially for vulnerable groups.

For the period 2017-2023, the team researched municipal refugee assistance using qualitative organizational and administrative case studies. The presentation provided theoretical and methodological insights into the research process and identifies the need for action and concrete recommendations for action.

You can find further information here (in German).