The EU’s council of justice and home affairs will discuss refugee resettlement when it meets this week (24-25 July).
Despite the myth about refugees flooding into Europe, 90% of the world’s uprooted people are in developing countries. The number seeking asylum in the industrialised world, including in the EU, has plummeted over the last decade. Most refugees flee to countries neighbouring their own. Half of those under the care of the United Nations’ refugee agency, UNHCR, are hosted by Chad, Iran, Jordan, Pakistan, Syria and Tanzania.
But crossing a border is not necessarily synonymous with finding safety. In some cases, the dangers which drive refugees from their homes follow them to refugee camps. In others, new threats arise.
In such instances, case-by-case, the UNHCR tries to find a country to resettle the refugees – to find new homes for people who have fled war or persecution in their own countries, but who are not yet out of harm’s way.
Earlier this month, representatives of 35 governments, the European Commission, and dozens of non-governmental organisations met in Geneva under UNHCR auspices to co-ordinate refugee resettlement efforts.
Resettlement is planned, orderly and well organised by the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration. Resettlement allows countries far removed from the world’s refugee problems to demonstrate their solidarity with those on the front lines. The involvement of citizens and civil society in the reception of resettled refugees helps to build mutual understanding and supports integration.
Despite efforts to increase the number of places available, less than 1% of the world’s refugees will have a chance to be considered for resettlement. Last year, 14 different countries resettled around 75,000 refugees – but a mere 6% (or around 5,000) were taken in by EU countries (chiefly Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK). By comparison, Canada resettled 11,200 refugees, Australia 9,600 and the US nearly 50,000. The EU can and should do more.
Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Representative of the International Organization for Migration