We are proud to announce that our researcher Daria Davitti, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant! Her project “Refugee Finance: Histories, Frameworks, Practices” will examine financial instruments used to fund humanitarian responses to refugee situations. Traditionally, humanitarian organizations have relied on development or humanitarian aid. But due to global aid cuts, new avenues are now being explored. The aim is to understand how new financial instruments work in practice, how they change our understanding of refugee protection, and how they affect international law and humanitarian organisations. Daria Davitti says that “The idea of refugee finance is that you can invest in financial instruments such as social impact bonds that support refugee projects and receive a return if the projects succeed. However, it is complex and there are risks that this affects the focus and objectives of humanitarian organizations. And that it might ultimately change the legal understanding of international protection. The project will explore this complexity.” Read full interview with Daria here.
