More people are being forced from their homes today than at any other point in recorded history. According to the UNHCR, over 122 million people worldwide are now forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, and climate-related disasters. The vast majority—over 75%—are hosted in low- and middle-income countries, often the very countries where SIDA’s members work.
Forced displacement is not random. It is systemic – driven by armed conflict, environmental collapse, extractive economies, and global inequality. These injustices have their roots in the historic and current actions of the minority world, or ‘Global North’. They are the same systems many of us in the development sector aim to challenge through our work.
But when displaced people arrive here in Scotland, seeking refuge from these injustices, do we respond with the same solidarity?
A duty to act locally, not just globally
Decolonising development means more than working in the Global South. It requires listening to, learning from, and standing alongside people with lived experience of displacement—many of whom live within and contribute to our own communities in Scotland. Their perspectives offer vital insights into the systems and structures we seek to transform, the challenges we aim to address, and the lived realities of the communities we partner with around the world.
As Aneel Bhopal from West of Scotland Regional Equalities Council and SIDA’s Diaspora Group for Global Citizenship highlighted recently, many diaspora communities – including refugees and asylum seekers – are already deeply engaged in addressing the interconnected issues of climate change, forced migration, and the legacies of empire. Yet their voices too often go unheard in decision-making spaces.
Speaking to the value of amplifying diaspora voices, Johannes Gonani (pictured left), founder of Pachedu, shared a Zimbabwean parable about a woman offered £10,000 for her modest home—unaware it sat on top of land rich in diamonds. He likened this to diaspora communities in Scotland, undervalued despite the depth of knowledge, resilience, and insight they hold.
“We are a valuable, untapped resource,” said MD Rezaur Rahman, chair of the West Lothian Community Race Forum. “Our presence at the top table isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential.”
The role of Scotland’s global development sector
As a sector committed to justice, peace, and sustainability – and as global citizens – we must take action both globally and locally. Whether through communications, partnerships, or advocacy, Scotland’s development organisations are uniquely placed to:
- Amplify refugee and diaspora voices
- Challenge the systemic root causes of displacement
- Help build a more informed, empathetic, and welcoming Scotland
In addition to our members like Islamic Relief and Save the Children working on the ground in neighbouring countries to support refugees fleeing conflict in Gaza and Sudan and other regions, other SIDA member organisations are finding new and creative ways to support refugees, including:
- The Linda Norgrove Foundation, who recently brought 19 female Afghan medical students barred by the Taliban to Scotland to train as doctors,
- Firefly International, who support children affected by war, particularly in Bosnia, Gaza and Syria, working with local partners to develop sustainable programmes,
- Glasgow Afghan United, who run a resettlement programme using their lived experience and cultural knowledge to support newly arrived Afghans,
- Oromo Relief Association, who provide confidential advice to Oromo refugees and asylum seekers, and
- Na’amal Agency, who connect refugees with opportunities for paid remote digital work.
A common value across the work of all these organisations is solidarity. Solidarity begins with listening—and with making space for people to be heard.
Join the conversation, stand in solidarity
This is why we are hosting a workshop in collaboration with the Scottish Refugee Council, where we are inviting global development organisations to explore how we can stand in meaningful solidarity with displaced people.
You’ll hear directly from people with lived experience of displacement and explore:
- Inclusive, accurate language and terminology
- The global and systemic causes of forced migration
- The asylum and refugee process and its barriers
- How your organisation can collaborate meaningfully with displaced people
- Concrete ways to act in solidarity—at home and abroad
Join us on Thursday 26June 2025, 10:30am – 12:30pm. Find more information through the sign-up link below:
