Transcript Document
UNHCR
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
CCR
Edmonton, 24 May 2007
Mr Vincent Cochetel
Department of International Protection
UNHCR, Geneva
I-
Basic Facts about UNHCR and
Resettlement Activities
II-
Canada’s contribution to Resettlement
Activities
III-
Global Trends & Challenges for UNHCR
Who are the 20.8 million people falling under
competence UNHCR’s competence?
Internally
displaced
persons,
6,600,000, 32%
Asylum
seekers,
668,000, 3%
Returnees,
1,100,000, 5%
Stateless
people
4,032,000, 19%
Refugees,
8,400,000, 41%
Refugee population 8.4 millions
Distribution by area in June 2006
CASWANAME,
2,467,300, 29%
Asia & the
Pacific
825,600, 10%
Americas
564,300, 7%
Africa,
2,571,500, 31%
Europe,
1,965,800, 23%
Durable Solutions for
Refugees
Facilitation/Promotion of Voluntary
Repatriation
Facilitation/Promotion of Local Integration
Promotion of Resettlement
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
Resettlement Submissions
Submissions by dossier
Submission during selection missions
RESETTLEMENT
COUNTRIES
(“current resettlement activities”):
81,730
50,000
12,000
13,000
5,550
750
430
USA :
CANADA:
AUSTRALIA:
(9) EUROPEAN COUNTRIES:
NEW ZEALAND:
(5) LATIN AMERICA COUNTRIES:
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
2006 Resettlement Departures
by Criteria of Submission
Refugees without
Local Integration
Prospects
38%
Survivor of
Violence and
Torture
5%
Women at Risk
7%
Child & Adolescent,
0%
Family Reunion
1%
Legal and Physical
Protection Needs
50%
Medical
2%
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
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)
Consistent public support
Strong involvement of NGOs, volunteers
and local/central authorities
Improved predictability in referrals in
2005-2006
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
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
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
Improve and shorten the length of
security screening by CBSA
Build upon group resettlement
experiences
Improve the functioning / responsiveness
of the UPP
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
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
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
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
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
To collect and disseminate “ best practices”
To further engage NGOs in the promotion of
resettlement activities