'Paving the Way' Handbook - ICMC

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Part I - Resettlement and Refugee Integration
Chapter 1: The Resettlement Framework
1.1 UNHCR Protection and Resettlement
There are 15.4 million refugees worldwide, of whom 4.8 million are Palestinian refugees
under the responsibility of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
(UNRWA’s) and 10.5 million are under the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR). UNHCR’s mandate is to provide international protection and seek
durable solutions for refugees.
Part I - Resettlement and Refugee Integration
Article 1 of the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees in brief defines a
refugee as:
‣¾ Someone who is outside his/her country of origin
‣¾ who has a well- founded fear of persecution
‣¾ because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or
political opinion
‣¾ and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country, or to
return there, for fear of persecution
Of all the countries hosting refugees, the largest populations are in developing countries, with 14
of these classified as least developing 3 . Whilst in the industrialized world, the number of asylum
seekers and refugees has declined considerably since the 1990’s. Refugees often live in these
host countries for many years, with no possibility of returning home or starting life in a new
country. For the first time in history, more refugees now live in urban settings than in camps.
"Overall, it's still the developing world that is carrying the lion's share of
responsibility for hosting refugees"
UNHCR High Commissioner António Guterres, 2010
To allow refugees to resume their lives after a period of violence, persecution and insecurity,
there are three durable solutions. These are:
1) Voluntary repatriation - where refugees return in safety and with dignity to their country
of origin and re-avail themselves of national protection
3 Least developed country (LDC) is the name given to a country which, according to the United Nations, exhibits
the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development, with the lowest Human Development Index ratings of all
countries in the world.