More than a One-State Job: Unpacking the Role of the Arab League in Syrian Refugee Repatriation

When it comes to 'solving' so-called displacement crises, regional host states (RHS) increasingly stress the need for refugee returns. Despite many refugees being unwilling to comply, some RHS have even begun implementing so-called 'voluntary' returns to conflict areas. Much of the existing literature on migration diplomacy around refugee returns has focused on RHS' bilateral strategies, the role of states in the Global North, and the role of international organisations in negotiating repatriation. What has received less attention, however, is how multilateral processes in general and intergovernmental, regional organisations in particular shape policies on forced migration. Using the return of refugees from Jordan to Syria as a case study, the paper unpacks how the Arab League as a regional intergovernmental organisation is central in enabling refugee repatriation to Syria. Thereby, it contrasts the League's role to other multilateral actors from outside of the region, such as the European Union and the United Nations, highlighting how this region-centred approach complements, challenges and circumvents existing, primarily Western-driven pathways of policymaking vis-à-vis forced migration. Its insights can inform research on the role of intergovernmental organisations vis-à-vis refugee policy and repatriation in other regional contexts, such as Sub-Saharan Africa with the African Union.