More than 85 percent of the world’s protracted refugee situations (PRS) are hosted by developing countries in the Global South, where the burden of caring for refugees falls on the countries often suffering from their own economic, social, and environmental challenges.

Bangladesh is facing the challenges inherent in hosting 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in a poverty-stricken coastal area. This 40-year PRS has had long-term effects on both refugee populations and host communities. Yasmin Khan will focus on how humanitarian aid policies and practices aimed at refugees also impact host communities. This work will help combat negative repercussions on host communities and counter anti-refugee sentiment based on ambiguous fear and not on demonstrated impacts.

Yasmin Khan is a doctoral researcher at the Geography and Planning Department at the University of Toronto. Yasmin has worked in international development, water resource management, and journalism in Mexico, Bolivia and India. She was director of the Mexico City-based foreign policy magazine The Americas Program exploring the repercussions of U.S. intervention in the Americas for the Center for International Policy. Yasmin is a Connaught International Scholarship Award holder and a two time Fulbright Scholar. She has an MA in water resource management, an MA in community and regional planning, and a BA in journalism all from the University of New Mexico.

The Migration and Displacement Discussion Group invites ANU researchers to come together to bridge our disciplinary divides and engage in a wider conversation.