Resettlement Resources

The Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (ATCR) were just held in Geneva from July 4-6. The meeting brings together representatives of governments, IGOs, and NGOs to address issues relating to resettlement. This year, the Refugee Council USA served as the NGO focal point; the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) will serve next year. The Refugee Council co-chaired the meeting with UNHCR and the U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.

On the agenda:
- the "widening gap between global resettlement needs and available places"
- "problems with the management of the resettlement process"
- "the strategic use of resettlement to provide solutions for refugees otherwise not eligible for resettlement"
- "the promotion of measures to improve the reception and integration of refugees once they reach their new destination"

For more information, read "UNHCR calls for more resettlement places and better support for resettled refugees."

Resettlement was also a topic for discussion at the recent UNHCR-NGO Consultations; read the background paper for the session on "Overcoming barriers: Strategies for the robust and effective use of resettlement as a protection tool."

And finally, here are two recently launched resources:

UNHCR-NGO Toolkit for Practical Cooperation on Resettlement (UNHCR et al., June 2011) [access]

- See also related press release. The toolkit "provides practical guidance for the UN refugee agency and NGOs to cooperate in areas such as operational activities; community outreach; information sharing, planning and advocacy; and reception and integration."

UNHCR Resettlement Handbook (UNHCR, revised edition July 2011) [access]

- Serves as the principal reference text for UNHCR's resettlement work.

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