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UNHCR Resettlement Activities: Global Trends & Challenges

This document provides an overview of UNHCR's resettlement activities, with a focus on Canada's contribution. It discusses global trends, challenges, and the objectives of resettlement.

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UNHCR Resettlement Activities: Global Trends & Challenges

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  1. UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees CCR Edmonton, 24 May 2007 Mr Vincent Cochetel Department of International Protection UNHCR, Geneva

  2. I- Basic Facts about UNHCR and Resettlement Activities II- Canada’s contribution to Resettlement Activities III- Global Trends & Challenges for UNHCR

  3. Who are the 20.8 million people falling under competence UNHCR’s competence?

  4. Refugee population 8.4 millionsDistribution by area in June 2006

  5. Durable Solutions for Refugees • Facilitation/Promotion of Voluntary Repatriation • Facilitation/Promotion of Local Integration • Promotion of Resettlement

  6. The objectives of Resettlement • To save/rescue individuals/families with specific protection needs • To activate this durable solution in absence or in parallel with other durable solutions • As an element of burden/responsibility-sharing • To create protection dividends for refugees who are not going to be resettled

  7. Resettlement Submissions • Submissions by dossier • Submission during selection missions

  8. RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES (“current resettlement activities”): 81,730 • USA : 50,000 • CANADA: 12,000 • AUSTRALIA: 13,000 • (9) EUROPEAN COUNTRIES: 5,550 • NEW ZEALAND: 750 • (5) LATIN AMERICA COUNTRIES: 430

  9. Total needs for resettlement in 2007: 53,100 refugees (individual submissions) 24,000 refugees (submissions of groups) Total: 77,100 refugees = 0.9 % of the refugees world population UNHCR ESTIMATE CAPACITY AS REGARDS SUBMISSIONS: Approximately: 50,000 refugees

  10. 2006 Resettlement Departures by Criteria of Submission Survivor of Women at Risk Child & Adolescent, Violence and 7% 0% Torture Refugees without 5% Local Integration Family Reunion Prospects 1% 38% Legal and Physical Protection Needs 50% Medical 2%

  11. Canada’s contribution to Resettlement Activities • One of the “big three” resettlement countries in the world • A resettlement programme sensitive to protection concerns/priorities (e.g. Palestinian refugees in Jordan) • Canada’s significant support to several resettlement/protection-related programmes

  12. A refugee resettlement program usefully complemented by the Private Sponsorship Program (PSR) • Canada’s readiness to use resettlement for protracted refugee situations (e.g. Bhutanese refugees in Nepal or Eritrean refugees in Sudan) • Canada’s commitment to use resettlement in a strategic manner (i.e. protection dividends arising out of resettlement activities) (e.g. support to MPA)

  13. Consistent public support • Strong involvement of NGOs, volunteers and local/central authorities • Improved predictability in referrals in 2005-2006

  14. Global trends • Impact of new anti-terrorist legislation (admission, security screening, delays in departure…) • Excessive use of a criteria of “local integration potential” by certain countries of resettlement • Increase in the emergency resettlement requests because of the deterioration of the situation in certain countries of first asylum

  15. Difficulties for resettlement countries of considering various groups in many countries of first asylum and temptation to turn to a mode of selection by group, with the risk of limiting geographical diversity in in-take. • Effective access employment market in several countries of resettlement

  16. Challenges for Canada’s Resettlement Programme • Ensure better synergies between the Government-Assisted Refugee Resettlement program and a strategic use of the Private Sponsorship Program • Pilot the use of dossier places and/or interviews by remote

  17. Improve and shorten the length of security screening by CBSA • Build upon group resettlement experiences • Improve the functioning / responsiveness of the UPP

  18. Enhance the role of NGOs • in needs identification process • in case preparation and referrals to UNHCR • in verification exercises (group processing) • in cultural orientation/language/literacy courses in countries of asylum

  19. Challenges for UNHCR • To improve planning, predictability, coherence in the resettlement submissions • To make the resettlement accessible : • to larger number of refugees, • from more countries of first asylum • and towards a broader number of countries of resettlement

  20. to promote the implementation of durable solutions strategies in particular for the protracted situations • Implementation of the conclusion No. 105 of the UNHCR Executive Committee on women-at-risk • to document country-by-country benefit resulting from a strategic use of the resettlement • to give a “human face” to the resettlement activities as effective way to combat xenophobia and to promote this solution

  21. To promote harmonized approaches for refugees in order to ensure equitable access to this solution and to reduce secondary movements • To establish “temporary transit facilities” for refugees having an immediate need for evacuation • To broaden the base of resettlement countries in Europe and Latin America

  22. To draw lessons from the group resettlement and other forms of simplification of procedures • To encourage the harmonization of the programs of cultural orientation before the departure to resettlement countries • To roll-out UNHCR resettlement anti-fraud program

  23. To collect and disseminate “ best practices” • To further engage NGOs in the promotion of resettlement activities

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