'Paving the Way' Handbook - ICMC

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‣ ¾ Lack of foreseeable alternative durable solutions, which is relevant when other solutions
are not feasible in the foreseeable future; in those situations when resettlement
can be used strategically, and can open possibilities for comprehensive solutions.
Part I - Resettlement and Refugee Integration
Resettlement can also be a vital and life-saving protection tool, when there is no other way
to guarantee the legal or physical security of the refugee in question. The Eritrean refugees,
who escaped persecution and fled from the Libyan war in 2011, are a good example of
when resettlement can save lives. Only a few weeks after crossing the Tunisian and Egyptian
borders, UNHCR managed to resettle some of these severely traumatised and injured refugees
to Sweden and the Netherlands.
“Being a refugee... the only
In conclusion, resettlement has three equally thing I never dreamed of.”
important functions:
Mohammed Ibrahim,
‣ ¾ To offer refugee protection to individual
Regional Refugee Coordinator,
refugees or refugee families with specific
New Zealand
protection needs
‣ ¾ To provide durable solutions to refugees, as an important alternative to voluntary repatriation
and local integration
‣ ¾ To express international solidarity and share global responsibility for refugees with those
countries that receive the highest numbers of the world’s refugees, as these are mainly
developing countries
Resettlement can also be used strategically to maximize the overall benefits beyond those
accruing to refugees being resettled, such as improving conditions for refugees in the
country of asylum and ‘unlocking’ protracted refugee situations.
For example, the Syrian government faced serious challenges receiving large numbers of
Iraqi refugees 6 . There was a risk that the government would close its borders to Iraqi refugees,
limiting the protection and safety that could be offered to them. This was due to
pressure on the available education and health services, as well as an increase in the cost
of rents and consumer goods affecting the local population. Resettlement of some of the
refugees to third countries - such as the United States, Canada and Europe, together with
offering humanitarian and development assistance, kept the borders open for Iraqi refugees
and improved access to services for both the local Syrian and the Iraqi refugee population.
6 According to figures from UNHCR as of January 2011, the Iraqi refugee population in Syria is reported to be around
1,000,000, of whom 151,000 are registered with UNHCR (2011 UNHCR Country Operations profile Syrian Arab
Republic).