With direct expertise in the identification, referral and overseas processing of thousands of refugees in need of resettlement from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, ICMC joined participants in discussing crucial issues relating to priority situations, resettlement capacity and enhanced integration over the course of the two-day meeting, which involved delegates from the UN Refugee Agency, NGOs, several national governments and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The United States, as chair for the 2011 Working Group and the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement to be held in July, played a key role in the meeting. Distinguished representatives included US Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) Admissions Office Acting Director, Larry Bartlett, PRM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary David Robinson as well as U.S. Ambassador Betty King, Refugee Council USA Chair, Daniel Kosten and UNHCR Deputy Director for the Division of International Protection, Wei-Meng Lim-Kabaa.

“Having worked side-by-side with refugees, governments and partner NGOs in resettlement efforts around the world for the past sixty years,” remarked ICMC Secretary General, Johan Ketelers, “ICMC recognizes resettlement as an opportunity for local communities and their governments to make a lasting difference in the lives of thousands of vulnerable men, women and children who do not have the possibility of returning home. The WGR is an important forum for sharing best practices and learning from our collective experiences in such a way that real, durable solutions for refugees can be assured”.

Identified by the Working Group as a ‘priority situation’, ICMC Program Manager, Kate Dorsch, was invited to highlight unique aspects relating to the needs of Iraqi refugees residing in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey while their resettlement cases are pending. Speaking alongside representatives from UNHCR Beirut, the UNHCR Resettlement Service, and the UNHCR Middle East and North Africa Bureau, Dorsch insisted upon the fact that “Iraqis are a highly engaged refugee population who play an active role in their own resettlement… it has been important that we adapt how we communicate with them in order to more effectively meet their needs.”

Thanks to the work of staff at the Overseas Processing Entities (OPE) in Turkey and Lebanon, nearly 5,000 Iraqi refugees departed for resettlement to the United States over the course of 2010, receiving assistance with security clearances, cultural orientation, medical examinations and follow-up. ICMC resettlement experts working through the UNHCR-ICMC Resettlement Deployment Scheme further referred more than 27,000 refugees to UNHCR globally for resettlement consideration in the first six months of 2010, of whom 9,187 were Iraqis.

In addition to specific expertise relating to resettlement efforts in the Middle East, ICMC Europe Resettlement Coordinator, Hazel Williams, outlined an innovative project currently being carried out in partnership with IOM and UNHCR on practical cooperation in EU resettlement, and underlined the role that exchange visits, trainings, stakeholder meetings and manuals can serve towards building capacity and ensuring the successful reception and integration of refugees.

“It is important to remember that no one size fits all when it comes to reception and integration”, explained Williams during a session on ‘twinning’ held with UK Border Agency’s Head of Refugee Resettlement Programs, Helen Gray. “Countries can learn from the variety of different models in this area, drawing on elements relevant to their context and ensuring that lessons learnt are applied.”

By Jenny Bloxham
Photo by Andres Morales

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For more information, please contact:

Ms. Alanna RYAN
ICMC Headquarters
Communications Officer
T: +41 22 919 10 20
E: ryan@icmc.net<

Resettlement working group targets concrete solutions for refugees, draws on ICMC expertise (2.04 MB)