United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 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? Globally, at present, there are about 20.8 million persons of concern to UNHCR. This slide indicates how that figure is constituted.

Refugee population 8.4 millions Distribution by area in June 2006 This graph shows how the number of persons of concern to UNHCR according to region. Figures from our 2005 Global Trends ( June 2006).52% of all refugee benefit from UNHCR assistance programmes and the vast majority are located in developing countries ie the UNHCR Bureaux for CASWANAME (29%) and for Africa (31%). CASWANAME is made up of the following states Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Israel, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Western Sahara, Yemen, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, League of Arab States, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Iraq

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 USA : 50,000 CANADA: 12,000 AUSTRALIA: 13,000 (9) EUROPEAN COUNTRIES: 5,550 NEW ZEALAND: 750 (5) LATIN AMERICA COUNTRIES: 430

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% Legal and Physical Protection Needs 50% Survivor of Violence and Torture 5% Child & Adolescent, 0% Medical 2% Family Reunion 1% Women at Risk 7%

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