Deployment Scheme Brochure 2011 - ICMC

Partnering to resettle
thousands of refugees
The UNHCR-ICMC
Deployment Scheme
There is a continuing urgency to provide protection
and secure long-term solutions for the many
thousands of refugees who have fled their home
countries and are neither able to return, nor be
integrated locally in their first country of asylum.
As one of the largest affiliate workforce partners of
the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), ICMC resettlement experts
have been working directly with refugees in
UNHCR field operations globally since 1998.
Commonly known as ‘deployees’, ICMC
resettlement experts play a key role in identifying
the most vulnerable refugees and assessing their
eligibility for resettlement.
The fastest possible response towards meeting
refugees’ protection needs is ensured by the
Deployment Scheme roster, which is made up of
more than 300 qualified professionals from diverse
backgrounds, each of whom is ready to be
deployed to UNHCR field offices on short notice
whenever crucial support is needed.
Expertise where it’s most
needed
In addition to its resettlement generalist
roster, ICMC maintains five subcategories
of experts with specialized
skills in:
Identifying who is a refugee by conducting
Refugee Status Determination (RSD) as
well as exclusion assessments
Mapping, profiling and processing groups
of refugees in need of resettlement, all of
whom share specific characteristics
Performing protection activities in a gendersensitive
manner in order to address the
specific needs and particular vulnerabilities
of refugee women
Assessing and determining the Best
Interest of children who have been
separated from both parents (BIA/BID)
©ICMC/K.URBAN
Providing psychosocial support and
counseling to those who have experienced
traumatic events such as violence and
torture
©ICMC/K.URBAN
ICMC serves and protects uprooted people:
refugees, internally displaced persons and migrants
regardless of faith, race, ethnicity or nationality.

Refugee resettlement: a valuable
protection tool
Resettlement is defined by
UNHCR as the selection
and transfer of refugees
from a state in which they
have initially sought
protection to a third state,
which has agreed to admit
them – as refugees - with
permanent resident status.
Resettlement is one of
three durable solutions that
UNHCR is mandated to
pursue. It is a fundamental
protection tool and a form
of international burden and
responsibility sharing that, when used strategically, can
benefit the entire refugee population.
Of the 10.4 million refugees worldwide in 2010, UNHCR
estimated some 800,000 people worldwide to be in need
of resettlement, including populations for whom
resettlement is envisioned over a period of several years.
However, only 10 in every 100 refugees needing
resettlement are actually resettled each year.
The largest resettlement country is the USA, followed by
Australia and Canada. Countries in Europe and Latin
America are also making a smaller, but increasing,
number of resettlement places available for refugees.
©ICMC/K.URBAN
Identifying those in need
of resettlement
ICMC resettlement experts
possess a strong understanding of
the international protection
framework; have excellent
interviewing and analytical skills
and are deeply committed to
working with the most vulnerable
displaced populations globally,
often in remote and isolated
locations.
While the number of deployments
carried out on an annual basis
varies according to resettlement
needs, ICMC has facilitated more
than 850 deployments to UNHCR
field operations since the Scheme
was initiated in 1998.
Currently, the highest
concentration of ICMC deployees
is in Africa and the Middle East,
with deployments also taking
place in Asia, Europe and Latin
America.
Boosting capacity to refer refugees for resettlement
In 2010, 55,825 refugees
were put forward by ICMC
deployees for resettlement
consideration, contributing
significantly to the total of
105,066 persons submitted
by UNHCR to resettlement
countries over the course of
the year.
23,765
54,780 55,825
2008 2009 2010
Number of refugees referred by ICMC deployees to UNHCR for resettlement consideration

Understanding the past flight, present
vulnerabilities and future prospects of
refugees
A deployee’s work involves a broad range of skills and
activities, including identifying survivors of violence and
torture, women at risk and other highly vulnerable
refugees. Deployees interview refugees to assess their
eligibility and whether resettlement is the most
appropriate solution for their particular case. Based on
their analysis, deployees then complete detailed referral
forms for submission of resettlement cases.
In addition, deployees may be called upon to conduct
Refugee Status Determination assessments or to
undertake Best Interest Determinations for
unaccompanied or separated children. Oftentimes,
deployees are involved in the broader resettlement
process, working in tandem with embassies,
governments, and national and international
organizations to ensure the effective implementation of
resettlement operations.
This Congolese husband and wife were separated
from their families when they fled their homeland as
children. They met, married and started a family of
their own during their many years living as refugees
in a camp.
With no possibility to return home or to stay longterm
in their first country of asylum, the family was
interviewed for resettlement by an ICMC deployee
and their case was submitted and accepted by the
USA. They are now resettled in Portland, Oregon.
©ICMC/B.HAMCHA
“The best part of deployment for me is
the opportunity to go to the camps,
interview refugees who have lost
everything, including the hope of a
better life, and be able to make a real
difference”
Bahia Hamcha
ICMC Deployee
Deployed to Tanzania (2009), Sudan (2010),
Kenya (2010), Egypt (2011)
©ICMC/B.HAMCHA
Making a difference
ICMC deployees play a crucial role in
protecting vulnerable refugees, giving
them hope for a new beginning. One
woman, who was pregnant when
ICMC deployee Bahia Hamcha
interviewed her family, was so
touched that she ultimately decided to
name her daughter after Bahia.
The mother’s case was submitted and
accepted by the USA and the family—
including baby Bahia—has since been
resettled to Portland, Oregon.

Behind the scenes
Day-to-day operations of the Deployment Scheme
are managed by a small team of dedicated support
staff from ICMC Headquarters in Geneva,
Switzerland. ICMC is responsible for the
management and administration of the Deployment
Scheme, from the identification and recruitment of
qualified staff to their successful deployment to
UNHCR field operations, as well as monitoring and
reporting on all deployee activities in the field.
Beyond the Deployment Scheme
In addition to the registration and referral of
refugees, ICMC’s Resettlement Support Center
(RSC) in Turkey further assists refugees in need of
resettlement by preparing their cases for
submission to the United States and facilitating
pre-departure processes, such as cultural
orientation sessions and medical examinations.
Together with the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, ICMC also seeks to
build capacity and promote refugee resettlement in
Europe by strengthening the engagement of
European Union Member States.
Working directly with migrants and refugees in
more than 40 countries around the world, ICMC
has been responding to the needs of people on
the move since 1951. ICMC Headquarters are
located in Geneva, Switzerland, and are further
supported by the work of liaison offices in Brussels
(ICMC Europe) and Washington, D.C (ICMC, Inc.)
and field offices located in Greece, Indonesia,
Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey.
ICMC wishes to thank UNHCR for the financial
support and the long-standing partnership in the
joint effort to find durable solutions for refugees.
ICMC welcomes interest from other donors who
may be able to support additional efforts to
address the needs and improve the lives of some
of the world’s most vulnerable people.
Dedicated to refugee
protection
The UNHCR-ICMC Resettlement
Deployment Scheme provides resettlement
experts with the opportunity to make a
positive impact on the lives of refugees.
Resettlement experts who are recruited to
the roster are available at short notice and
for a minimum period of 3 months.
With each request for additional support at
a UNHCR field office, ICMC matches the
expertise of roster members with the
specific skills and experience required for
the particular deployment.
Deployees may complete an unlimited
number of deployments, however, the
maximum period allowed at any single duty
station is 24 months.
For further information on how to apply,
including full eligibility requirements and to
download the required application forms
please visit www.icmc.net
©ICMC/K.URBAN
1 rue de Varembé, Case Postale 96, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0) 22 919 10 20, Fax: +41 (0) 22 919 10 48,
Email: info@icmc.net, www.icmc.net