On Tuesday the Obama administration convened an international conference to seek renewed commitment to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between north and south Sudan. The next day I attended a meeting where representatives of northern and southern Sudan gave their perspectives on the outcomes of the conference. It was supposed to be a time for showing the world how much agreement there was between the parties. Yet, in this short meeting, the parties were unable to conceal their disagreements and significant distrust of each other.

In the world of refugees and internally displaced people, host communities tend to be nearly invisible. They are the backdrop to the core drama of refugee protection, part of the scenery. Or perhaps a source of cheap labor for the manual and clerical tasks that undergird camp operations.

On the occasion of World Refugee Day, however, let's attempt to put host communities on center stage where they belong.