GENEVA, July 4 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency called on Monday for increased resettlement places for the most vulnerable among the 10.5 million refugees under its mandate.
"If states do not come forward with more places, almost 100,000 vulnerable refugees in need of resettlement will remain without any solution this year," Wei-Meng Lim-Kabaa, head of UNHCR's resettlement service, said at the opening of the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement.
"It is of paramount importance to understand that these people have no alternative solution and failure to resettle them means these people remain in an agonizing limbo," she added.
Most refugees either eventually return to their home countries or are allowed to settle in countries of first asylum. But for some, resettlement in a third country offers the only possible solution.
Currently, 80,000 resettlement places are available each year. It is estimated that 780,000 refugees will be in need of resettlement as a solution over the next three to five years, of whom 172,000 will be prioritized for next year.
UNHCR is also observing a significant drop in departures of refugees accepted for resettlement. This is due to stringent security checks and various challenges that resettlement countries face in managing their resettlement pipelines.
In 2009, almost 85,000 refugees were resettled while in 2010 the figure dropped to about 73,000. UNHCR is concerned that in 2011 the number of refugees departing for resettlement will be significantly fewer than the 80,000 places available.
This widening gap between global resettlement needs and available places, as well as the drop in actual departures, will be the focus of this week's tripartite consultations between UNHCR, governments and the non-governmental sector. The three-day meeting is being co-chaired by the United States Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, the Refugee Council USA, and UNHCR.
As well as the shortage of resettlement places and problems with the management of the resettlement process, the consultations will focus on the strategic use of resettlement to provide solutions for refugees otherwise not eligible for resettlement, in a number of priority situations in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.
"Resettlement can bring about positive results beyond those that benefit the individual. Resettling a considerable number of refugees, thus alleviating a burden on the country of first asylum, helps to negotiate better conditions for the refugees who stay, or new refugees who arrive," said Larry Bartlett, director of refugee admissions for the US Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.
The agenda for this year's consultations also includes the promotion of measures to improve the reception and integration of refugees once they reach their new destination. UNHCR and governmental and non-governmental partners are seeking to improve help for refugees with integration on arrival in the resettlement country.
"Integration does not happen by itself but needs efforts by both the refugee and the receiving community. It also involves many others including government departments, NGOs, employers, trade unions, health care providers, and so on. We need to have all partners on board," said Dan Kosten, chairman of the Refugee Council USA.
The consultations will provide a forum for UNHCR to draw attention to the acute resettlement challenges for refugees who have fled violence and serious human rights abuses in Libya and are now stranded at the borders of Tunisia and Egypt. In the wake of the mass outflows, UNHCR launched a Global Resettlement Solidarity Initiative and mounted an emergency resettlement operation, which is unique in its volume and complexity and poses considerable challenges for all partners concerned.
UNHCR is calling on states to make available resettlement places for these refugees outside their regular quota. UNHCR is asking states to speed up their decision-taking procedures as well as their departure clearances to bring these refugees to safety as quickly as possible.
In 2010, UNHCR presented more than 108,000 refugees for resettlement. Some 73,000 refugees were resettled with UNHCR assistance. According to government statistics, 22 countries reported the admission of over 98,000 resettled refugees last year, with or without UNHCR assistance. The United States accepted the highest number, more than 71,000.
08 August 2011
Refugees resettlement places and better support for UNHCR calls for more resettled refugees
GENEVA, July 4 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency called on Monday for increased resettlement places for the most vulnerable among the 10.5 million refugees under its mandate.
"If states do not come forward with more places, almost 100,000 vulnerable refugees in need of resettlement will remain without any solution this year," Wei-Meng Lim-Kabaa, head of UNHCR's resettlement service, said at the opening of the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement.
"It is of paramount importance to understand that these people have no alternative solution and failure to resettle them means these people remain in an agonizing limbo," she added.
Most refugees either eventually return to their home countries or are allowed to settle in countries of first asylum. But for some, resettlement in a third country offers the only possible solution.
Currently, 80,000 resettlement places are available each year. It is estimated that 780,000 refugees will be in need of resettlement as a solution over the next three to five years, of whom 172,000 will be prioritized for next year.
UNHCR is also observing a significant drop in departures of refugees accepted for resettlement. This is due to stringent security checks and various challenges that resettlement countries face in managing their resettlement pipelines.
In 2009, almost 85,000 refugees were resettled while in 2010 the figure dropped to about 73,000. UNHCR is concerned that in 2011 the number of refugees departing for resettlement will be significantly fewer than the 80,000 places available.
This widening gap between global resettlement needs and available places, as well as the drop in actual departures, will be the focus of this week's tripartite consultations between UNHCR, governments and the non-governmental sector. The three-day meeting is being co-chaired by the United States Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, the Refugee Council USA, and UNHCR.
As well as the shortage of resettlement places and problems with the management of the resettlement process, the consultations will focus on the strategic use of resettlement to provide solutions for refugees otherwise not eligible for resettlement, in a number of priority situations in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.
"Resettlement can bring about positive results beyond those that benefit the individual. Resettling a considerable number of refugees, thus alleviating a burden on the country of first asylum, helps to negotiate better conditions for the refugees who stay, or new refugees who arrive," said Larry Bartlett, director of refugee admissions for the US Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.
The agenda for this year's consultations also includes the promotion of measures to improve the reception and integration of refugees once they reach their new destination. UNHCR and governmental and non-governmental partners are seeking to improve help for refugees with integration on arrival in the resettlement country.
"Integration does not happen by itself but needs efforts by both the refugee and the receiving community. It also involves many others including government departments, NGOs, employers, trade unions, health care providers, and so on. We need to have all partners on board," said Dan Kosten, chairman of the Refugee Council USA.
The consultations will provide a forum for UNHCR to draw attention to the acute resettlement challenges for refugees who have fled violence and serious human rights abuses in Libya and are now stranded at the borders of Tunisia and Egypt. In the wake of the mass outflows, UNHCR launched a Global Resettlement Solidarity Initiative and mounted an emergency resettlement operation, which is unique in its volume and complexity and poses considerable challenges for all partners concerned.
UNHCR is calling on states to make available resettlement places for these refugees outside their regular quota. UNHCR is asking states to speed up their decision-taking procedures as well as their departure clearances to bring these refugees to safety as quickly as possible.
In 2010, UNHCR presented more than 108,000 refugees for resettlement. Some 73,000 refugees were resettled with UNHCR assistance. According to government statistics, 22 countries reported the admission of over 98,000 resettled refugees last year, with or without UNHCR assistance. The United States accepted the highest number, more than 71,000.
26 February 2010
Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said
Refugees dying to work
2010/02/17
THE refugees and asylum seekers in the country are willing to do whatever it takes to make ends meet. The Rohingyas, for example, will jump at any opportunity to be given gainful employment.
Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation Malaysia (MERHROM) president Zafar Ahmead says the refugees have been surviving here with great difficulty.
"The government doesn't allow us to work.
"We survive and make a living scrounging for jobs from the public. We work part-time, do odd jobs, help out at businesses and construction sites."
Zafar says that there are never any guarantees for the community's safety, with detention by police and Rela personnel a possibility at any time.
Zafar says any jobs that are opened up to them will be "of interest".
"If the government gives us these jobs, we will be very happy.
"We are not demanding for cushy jobs in air-conditioned offices. We just want the opportunity to work and make a better life for ourselves."
As of January, there are 79,300 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia.
There are 20,000 more unregistered refugees and asylum-seekers.
They may just get what they want.
The Human Resources Ministry had on Monday said that it would present to the cabinet another proposal allowing the 90,000-odd refugees in the country to work.
Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said he had put up a case to the cabinet some time ago, but no decision was taken then.
He believed that it would be a good move to employ them.
Subramaniam had said utilising refugees as a workforce while they waited to be resettled elsewhere would also prove beneficial to the country's economic well-being.
However, former Immigration Department enforcement director Datuk Ishak Mohammed begs to differ.
"We can give them work, but who will stop the other refugees from coming in?
"They will come here, saying they want to visit Malaysia and then claim refugee status and say they want to work," he says, adding that they would next settle down and demand citizenship.
Ishak says the UNHCR will not lift a finger to relocate the refugees to other countries if such a situation comes to pass.
He says giving them jobs here will not solve their problems and it is up to developed countries to help them out.
UNHCR spokesperson Yante Ismail says the organisation is pleased that Malaysia is considering allowing refugees to work.
"We believe this is in the long-term humanitarian, economic and security interest of Malaysia and consistent with Malaysia's own humanitarian tradition in helping those in need. We look forward to supporting the government of Malaysia in this initiative."
Yante adds that UNHCR in Malaysia continues to push for long-term solutions for all refugees including finding them homes in third countries and helping them return home safely.
2010/02/17
THE refugees and asylum seekers in the country are willing to do whatever it takes to make ends meet. The Rohingyas, for example, will jump at any opportunity to be given gainful employment.
Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation Malaysia (MERHROM) president Zafar Ahmead says the refugees have been surviving here with great difficulty.
"The government doesn't allow us to work.
"We survive and make a living scrounging for jobs from the public. We work part-time, do odd jobs, help out at businesses and construction sites."
Zafar says that there are never any guarantees for the community's safety, with detention by police and Rela personnel a possibility at any time.
Zafar says any jobs that are opened up to them will be "of interest".
"If the government gives us these jobs, we will be very happy.
"We are not demanding for cushy jobs in air-conditioned offices. We just want the opportunity to work and make a better life for ourselves."
As of January, there are 79,300 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia.
There are 20,000 more unregistered refugees and asylum-seekers.
They may just get what they want.
The Human Resources Ministry had on Monday said that it would present to the cabinet another proposal allowing the 90,000-odd refugees in the country to work.
Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said he had put up a case to the cabinet some time ago, but no decision was taken then.
He believed that it would be a good move to employ them.
Subramaniam had said utilising refugees as a workforce while they waited to be resettled elsewhere would also prove beneficial to the country's economic well-being.
However, former Immigration Department enforcement director Datuk Ishak Mohammed begs to differ.
"We can give them work, but who will stop the other refugees from coming in?
"They will come here, saying they want to visit Malaysia and then claim refugee status and say they want to work," he says, adding that they would next settle down and demand citizenship.
Ishak says the UNHCR will not lift a finger to relocate the refugees to other countries if such a situation comes to pass.
He says giving them jobs here will not solve their problems and it is up to developed countries to help them out.
UNHCR spokesperson Yante Ismail says the organisation is pleased that Malaysia is considering allowing refugees to work.
"We believe this is in the long-term humanitarian, economic and security interest of Malaysia and consistent with Malaysia's own humanitarian tradition in helping those in need. We look forward to supporting the government of Malaysia in this initiative."
Yante adds that UNHCR in Malaysia continues to push for long-term solutions for all refugees including finding them homes in third countries and helping them return home safely.
11 February 2010
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