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Q. What is resettlement?
Refugee resettlement is a process involving the selection and transfer of people who are granted the refugee status from the host country where they initially sought protection to a third country. This third country has agreed to admit these refugees as "refugees" with permanent resident status. The resettlement process is a humanitarian initiative that serves several crucial purposes:
Protection: Resettlement provides refugees with a durable solution, ensuring that they are not forcibly returned to their home country where they may face persecution, violence, or other threats to their lives and freedom.
Rights: Once resettled, refugees and their families or dependents gain access to a wide range of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights similar to those enjoyed by the nationals of the resettlement country. This includes access to education, employment, healthcare, and other essential services.
Citizenship: Over time, resettled refugees have the opportunity to become naturalized citizens of the resettlement country, granting them the same legal status and privileges as other citizens.
The process of resettlement typically involves UNHCR and the resettlement countries. UNHCR plays a crucial role as an intermediary in this process. Their responsibilities include identifying and preparing cases of refugees who meet the criteria established by resettlement countries. These criteria can vary widely and may include factors such as ethnic or religious background, vulnerability, or specific protection needs.
Each resettlement country sets a quota, which is a predetermined number of refugees it is willing to admit and resettle within a specific period, often on an annual basis. This quota system allows resettlement countries to manage and plan their humanitarian commitments.
In summary, refugee resettlement is a humanitarian solution that involves the transfer of refugees to a third country, granting them permanent resident status and access to a range of rights and services. UNHCR plays a key role in facilitating this process, while resettlement countries contribute by providing a safe haven for refugees in need of protection and a chance to rebuild their lives.
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Criteria, Complexity, and Consequence: UNHCR's RST Processing
Criteria for Resettlement: UNHCR screens refugees for resettlement based on certain criteria that include ethnic or religious background and level of education. These criteria are not independently set by UNHCR but are influenced by the donor states, which are also the major resettlement countries. These countries set quotas and specify the profiles of refugees they are willing to accept and UNHCR must work within these parameters.
Impact of Incorrect Information: Inaccuracies in a refugee’s personal information, such as specific needs, ethnicity, or date of arrival, can lead to them being overlooked for resettlement. Since such data may be used as selection criteria, any mistakes in recording this information could result in a refugee not being prioritised or scheduled for an interview, which is a key step in the resettlement process.
Influence of Geopolitical and Economic Factors: The selection of refugees for resettlement is not solely based on their needs, but is also influenced by the geopolitical interests, preferences, and agendas of the countries that will be accepting them, and that this can lead to unfair outcomes. The process is not purely humanitarian. It is influenced by the political and economic considerations of the countries that agree to take in refugees.
Lack of Transparency: There is a lack of transparency about the detailed process of how UNHCR screens and select refugees for resettlement. The organization does not disclose information beyond the numbers of refugees resettled or engage in a discussion on how resettlement criteria are influenced by the interests and policies of resettlement countries. This lack of detailed information makes it difficult to understand or evaluate the fairness and effectiveness of the resettlement programs.
Questions:
- What is the exact selection process for resettlement? Are there set criteria and how are these applied?
- How do UNHCR's practices differ from those of other organizations involved in refugee resettlement?
- Are there noticeable differences in resettlement practices and outcomes between different regions or over time? What factors contribute to these differences?
- How does the geopolitical interest or domestic policies of resettlement countries impact UNHCR's work? Are certain ethnicities, nationalities, or levels of education prioritized in the resettlement process?
- How transparent is UNHCR in its resettlement processes and decisions? How can accountability be improved?
- What effect does funding availability from donor states have on resettlement practices and outcomes?
- How are the needs and desires of refugees themselves taken into account in the resettlement process?
- Are there any data on the nationality, ethnicity, and educational level of the refugees resettled, and how these characteristics influence the selection process?
- How does UNHCR account for intersectional factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, and nationality in its resettlement programs? Are there ways that these intersectional factors can lead to non-consideration by resettlement stats?
- Is there any information on the countries of origin of resettled refugees, indicating whether certain regions or countries are prioritised or deprioritised in the resettlement process?
- Are there any statistics on the amount of funding or resources provided by each resettlement country to support the resettlement process?
- What is the success rate of the resettlement of refugees with medical conditions and what are the main obstacles they face?
- What is the number of refugees found not qualified for RST, at Identification stage, for each of the non-qualifying reasons?
- What is the number of refugees found not qualified for RST, at interview and review stage, for each of the non-qualifying reasons?
- How many of the cases initiated for RST are found not qualified to be resettled - at all stages of RST processing?
- What is the percentage of refugees who are not willing to be resettled - breakdown by nationality/country of former habitual residence - compared with the overall number of refugees who are considered for resettlement?
- How many refugees in a protracted situation (in CoA for 7 years or more) were submitted for RST?
- How many refugees submitted for RST have been in CoA for 1 year or less?
- What is the number of refugees withdrawn from resettlement post-submission, for each of the withdrawal reasons, and by each resettlement country?
- What is the total number of submissions with unaccompanied minors?
- What is the total number of submissions with separated children?
- What is the number of LGBTQI+ submissions?
- What is the number of refugees who were submitted for resettlement out of detention? (They were detained and either travelled from detention to country of resettlement, or were released from detention, pending resettlement acceptance).
- How many applications are submitted for resettlement to a country in which they have relatives?
- How many refugees are rejected, with a breakdown by each resettlement country?
- What is the percentage of rejected refugees in comparison with submissions as a whole, by resettlement country?
- What is the percentage of accepted refugees in comparison with submissions as a whole, by resettlement country?
- What is the number of refugees who have been submitted and are pending a decision, with a breakdown by RST country?
- What is the percentage of resettled ethnic minorities?
- What is the percentage of resettled religious minorities?
