SOAS Research Online

A Free Database of the Latest Research by SOAS Academics and PhD Students

[skip to content]

McQuinn, Mark (2024) 'Policy Incoherence? The UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership Arrangement.' In: Fauri, Francesca and Mantovani, Debora, (eds.), Past and Present Migration Challenges: What European and American History Can Teach Us. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave MacMillan with the support of the European Commission, pp. 219-245.

This is the latest version of this item.

[img] Text - Accepted Version
Restricted to Repository staff only until 1 January 2026.

Request a copy

Abstract

This chapter examines the 2022 UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP). This arrangement includes an asylum partnership arrangement (APA), allowing the British government to send people to Rwanda who would otherwise claim asylum in the UK. An analysis is provided of how the APA is situated within the concept of Policy Coherence for Development (PCD), which is a central UK government strategy. Findings reveal that the APA lacks policy coherence on the part of the UK government for three central reasons. First, evidence-based research has been produced indicating that elements of the APA contravene the human rights of migrants to the UK. The government has failed to engage transparently and robustly with the evidence produced, contradicting its repeatedly stated position in policy documents that support for human rights is of prime importance. Second, aspects of the APA involve harming the environment, which belies the claim made frequently in the same policy documents that fostering green development is a primary UK government concern. Third, the UK government has not attempted to integrate the APA with existing development programmes in Rwanda. The APA is not, therefore, based on a “whole of government” approach, which is stated as being a core facet of policy-making by the UK administration.

Item Type: Book Chapters
Keywords: Migration, UK government, Rwanda, Asylum Partnership Agreement (APA), human rights, environment, policy coherence
SOAS Departments & Centres: Departments and Subunits > Foundation College
ISBN: 9783031394300
Copyright Statement: This is the version of the chapter accepted for publication in Fauri, Francesca and Mantovani, Debora, (eds.), Past and Present Migration Challenges: What European and American History Can Teach Us. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave MacMillan with the support of the European Commission, pp. 219-245 (2024). Re-use is subject to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
DOI (Digital Object Identifier): https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39431-7_9
Date Deposited: 23 Feb 2024 12:33
URI: https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/41469
Funders: European Union

Altmetric Data

Available Versions of this Item

  • Policy Incoherence? The UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership Arrangement. (deposited 23 Feb 2024 12:33) [Currently Displayed]

Statistics

Download activity - last 12 monthsShow export options
Downloads since deposit
6 month trend
23Downloads
6 month trend
72Hits
Accesses by country - last 12 monthsShow export options
Accesses by referrer - last 12 monthsShow export options

Repository staff only

Edit Item Edit Item