Refugee resettlement: 2012 and beyond

Resettlement is an issue that deserves to be taken seriously by those charged with shaping its policy and those delivering it on the ground. The better it is understood, the more effectively it can be used. It thus seemed time to do what Troeller did in 2002, only one decade further on. His was a snapshot of resettlement at the time when UNHCR was celebrating its 50th anniversary. He looked at the evolution of resettlement and at the issues and challenges of the time. This article will do much the same. It will begin by revisiting key moments in the history of UNHCR’s use of resettlement, though in this case focusing in particular on events of the intervening decade. Likewise it will look at the issues that are currently on the agenda for those involved in implementing UNHCR’s resettlement program. Most significantly, however, it aims to identify the major challenges currently confronting UNHCR, governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In so doing, it is hoped this will inform debate and enhance the effectiveness of the use of resettlement as a protection tool, as a durable solution and as a tangible expression of solidarity as UNHCR moves into its 7th decade.