UNHCR’s projected global resettlement needs 2017 report estimates that over 1.19 million people will be in need of resettlement. Syrians are the biggest group in need of resettlement (40%), followed by people from Sudan, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“Resettlement is now more important than ever as a solution, and we must grasp this opportunity to increase the number of refugees benefitting from it, as well as other avenues for admission,” stated the High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
The report was released on the first day of the Annual Tripartite Consultations for Resettlement, co-chaired by ECRE member, the Dutch Council for Refugees and the Dutch government in partnership with UNHCR. At the meeting, 35 NGOs, including ECRE called on all parties to provide resettlement places and additional legal channels for at least 10% of the global refugee population annually.
In order to ensure safer legal pathways to Europe, NGO’s advocated that refugees should have access to extended family reunification, labour mobility schemes, student scholarships, private sponsorships, as well as medical evacuation and humanitarian visas. These additional pathways are crucial for refugees who are unable to access resettlement.
This article appeared in the ECRE Weekly Bulletin of 17 June 2016. You can subscribe to the Weekly Bulletin here.