Refugees are a symptom of a deeper malaise in the polities from which they have fled.
The failure to establish satisfactory coping mechanisms is a symptom of a deeper malaise afflicting the world. Poverty, natural and man-made disasters spawn refugees. The nature, frequency and scale of such emergencies have strained the capacity of international relief agencies, heightened social concerns in host countries, and increased the interest in addressing the roots of the problem and searching for other preventive measures. Refugees need protection, integration in neighboring countries and resettlement in third countries. Wealthy countries' aid programs aim in part to eliminate the causes of the refugee problem by contributing to peace, prosperity and stability.