In 2016, member states of the United Nations, by consensus, adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, in which they also agreed to the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). The framework, arguing for a multi-stakeholder inclusive approach that includes local authorities, was suggested to be a progressive step in establishing an international regime offering predictability in dealing with large scale refugee movements, placing focus on self-reliance, economic inclusion, and support for both refugees and host communities. The CRRF was inserted in the Global Compact on Refugees adopted by UN General Assembly in December 2018. This thesis sets out to enunciate the involvement of local governments as stakeholders in the CRRF and to explore the role of this stakeholder status in refugee local integration solutions, with Uganda as an exemplifying case of refugee hosting countries implementing the CCRF. As an entry point, the thesis posits the following research question: “As stakeholders in the comprehensive refugee response framework, what is the role of local governments in refugee local integration in Uganda?”. The thesis utilizes concepts including stakeholders, local government, decentralisation and integration to construct an analytical framework employed by the thesis.  The thesis claims that as stakeholders in the CRRF, local governments are relevant in enhancing refugee local integration, but this role can only be maximized if and when the decentralized functions and structures of local government are adequately utilised by other stakeholders in the CRRF including the central government and international community. Local governments, under the right circumstances, potentially play a role in ensuring host communities do not impede the enjoyment of refugee rights by mediating refugee-host community relations. But as it stands; the political, administrative, and fiscal functions of local government in Uganda are yet to be adequately harnessed by CRRF structures.

Intergenerational trauma is increasingly prevalent among youth from generations that have endured collective trauma due to prolonged armed conflict. Existing research indicates that this trauma is often linked to an elevated risk of heightened violence within affected communities. However, there remains a lack of substantial research on effective interventions for humanitarian organisations to address this issue. Moreover, typical approaches tend to follow Western standards, which may not be suitable for the conditions faced by these communities. This research paper investigates the potential of incorporating community-based coping strategies into the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) programs employed by humanitarian organisations. Moreover, it explores whether the integration could lead to more sustainable and positive outcomes for affected communities that align with the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. This paper achieves this through an extensive literature review and a case study examining intergenerational trauma and its impact on Palestinian youth in the occupied Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and West Bank (including East Jerusalem). It evaluates the community-based coping strategies in place and assesses their effectiveness. The findings of this research emphasise the importance of community engagement and the incorporation of existing coping strategies to effectively address intergenerational trauma among affected youth. This research also indicates a predominantly positive association between existing coping strategies and community resilience. Moreover, the existing coping strategies utilised by the affected communities have the potential to break the cycle of violence, which frequently results from intergenerational trauma. Finally, this research presents that these strategies foster a more sustainable peace process.