1. Restricting Refugees The Protection of Refugees and Asylum Seekers Susan McGrath, Ph.D. Director, Centre for Refugee Studies York University 8 th National Metropolis Conference March 23-26, 2006 Vancouver, BC

2. How countries treat those who have been forced to flee persecution and human rights abuse elsewhere is a litmus test of their commitment to defending human rights and upholding humanitarian values. Yet, fifty years after its inception, the states that first established a formal refugee protection system are abandoning this principle, and the future of the international refugee regime is under serious threat. Human Rights Watch 2000, 50 Years On What Future for Refugee Protection?

3. World Refugee Survey 2005* Key Statistics Total Number of Refugees and Asylum Seekers... 11.5 MILLION New Refugees and Asylum Seekers... 1.01 MILLION** Refugees Warehoused 5 Years or More... 7.77 MILLION Total Number of Internally Displaced Persons... 21.3 MILLION New Internally Displaced Persons... 3.16 MILLION** ** Represents persons who fled their countries during 2004, including those who fled and returned within the year. *U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants Refugee Hosting Countries

4. Worldwide Asylum Applications in 2004 (Selected Industrialized Countries) NEW ASYLUM APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED IN SELECTED INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES 1 [in 2004] Country of AsylumMain Countries of OriginAsylum applications France Turkey / Algeria / China / D.R. Congo / Serbia-Montenegro 58,500 United States Haiti / China / Colombia / Mexico / Venezuela 56,000 United Kingdom Iran / Somalia / Pakistan / Zimbabwe / China 40,600 Germany Turkey / Serbia-Montenegro / Russian Fed. / Viet Nam / Iran 35,600 Canada Colombia / Mexico / China / Sri Lanka / India 25,800 Austria Russian Fed. / Serbia-Montenegro / India / Nigeria / Georgia 24,600 Sweden Serbia-Montenegro / Stateless / Iraq / Russian Fed. / Azerbaijan 23,200 Belgium D.R. Congo / Russian Fed. / Serbia-Montenegro / Slovakia / Guinea 15,400 Switzerland Serbia-Montenegro / Turkey / Georgia / Stateless / Iraq 14,200 Slovakia India / Russian Fed. / China / Georgia / Moldova 11,400 UNHCR, Refugees by Numbers (2005 edition)

5. Applications for Asylum in Canada Over the Last 5 Years Canadian Council for Refugees, 2006

6. Global Interdiction Strategies Carrier Sanctions Visa requirements Increased border security Safe Third Country agreements

7. UNHCRs Durable Solutions Repatriation (1,494,500 ) Local Integration (?) Resettlement (83,700)

8. Resettled Refugees U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, World Refugee Survey 2005

9. Top Donor Countries Contribution in Millions of U.S. Dollars Contribution Per Capita in U.S. Dollars U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, World Refugee Survey 2005

10. CRS Refugee Research Cluster Legal Frameworks –Interdiction: Sharryn Aiken –Refugee Status Determination Project: Susan McGrath Identity and Place –Nandita Sharma, York University Settlement Services –Settlement Needs of Roma Refugees: Gerald Kernerman, York University Susan McGrath, York University; Tracey Derwing, University of Alberta; Jean Renaud, University of Montreal; Sharryn Aiken, Queens University