1. 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

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

4. 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

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”): ,730
USA : ,000
CANADA: ,000
AUSTRALIA: ,000
(9) EUROPEAN COUNTRIES: ,550
NEW ZEALAND:
(5) LATIN AMERICA COUNTRIES:

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

12. 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%

13. 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

14. 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)

15. Consistent public support
Strong involvement of NGOs, volunteers and local/central authorities
Improved predictability in referrals in

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

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