Protracted refugee situations constitute nearly 70% of the world’s refugees. Refugees trapped in these situations typically live without legal status and are denied a range of basic rights. These situations are also frequently associated with forced recruitment, small arms proliferation, and the spill-over of conflict, which, in turn, have a negative impact both on the physical security of refugees and the states that host them. Finding solutions to these situations have proven elusive for humanitarian actors, including the United Nations.

The objectives of The PRS Project are to provide a clear and comprehensive analysis of the problem of protracted refugee situations, develop a more effective policy framework for addressing this problem, integrate the resolution of chronic refugee problems with issues of peacebuilding, human rights, and sustainable development, and engage stakeholders in particular protracted refugee situations to formulate and implement solutions-oriented approaches.

The goal of The PRS Project is to formulate and help implement both comprehensive plans of action, targeted at specific protracted refugee situations in Africa and Asia, and a set of policy-focused tools which will assist policy-makers and advocacy organizations in their efforts to change international policy on protracted refugee situations.