On 20 May, a Budapest Process webinar took place on return and reintegration, presenting the paper Reintegration realities: post-return challenges and experiences across countries, the first in a new series of Budapest Process knowledge products entitled “Reintegration is complicated: frameworks and outcomes in the Silk Routes Region.”
Developed under the auspices of the Budapest Process Thematic Working Group on Return and Reintegration, this knowledge product emerged from conclusions and discussions of the 2025 Thematic Working Group Meeting on Return and Reintegration and subsequent exchanges held within the Budapest Process framework. These discussions underscored the importance of drawing more systematically on evidence and research to better understand the complexities surrounding reintegration processes and outcomes, which subsequently informed the development of this paper in support of more evidence-informed discussions, policy development and practical cooperation within the Budapest Process framework.
The analysis draws primarily on desk research, from a broad range of project documents, policy papers, and other existing literature on return and reintegration in the Silk Routes Region and globally, complemented by targeted consultations with experts in the policy field and respective country contexts. It builds on a number of recent assessments conducted under the Sustainable Reintegration of Returnees and Improved Migration Management in Pakistan project, the Capacity Partnerships and Access to Information for Sustainable Reintegration of Returnees in Iraq – CAIR I and II projects, the Migration Awareness, Access to Reintegration and Strengthening Capacities in Iraq (MAARC) project, the PARIM I and II and MIRAMI projects, ICMPD’s post-Covid trend analysis of return migration patterns for Pakistan and Bangladesh,and broader insights from ongoing work in the region.
Focusing on Bangladesh, Iraq and Pakistan, the paper approaches reintegration as a multidimensional process unfolding simultaneously across the individual, community and structural levels, highlighting the complex interaction between economic, social, psychosocial and institutional factors shaping reintegration outcomes.
The findings challenge a predominantly economic perspective on reintegration success. Social acceptance, identity and the strength of local institutions emerged as equal if not more decisive factors. Effective reintegration is achievable only when structural barriers are acknowledged and community-based approaches are developed alongside economic support measures.
The presentation was followed by a lively Q&A session, during which participants reflected on the findings and their implications for policy design and programming within the Budapest Process framework. There was broad agreement that the insights generated would directly feed into the ongoing work of the Thematic Working Group on Return and Reintegration.
This research marks the beginning of a broader series of Budapest Process knowledge products, titled “Reintegration is Complicated” aimed at illuminating the realities of return and supporting more evidence-based cooperation as migration dynamics continue to evolve across the Silk Routes region.
Read BP knowledge products: Reintegration realities: post-return challenges and experiences across countries
