Resettlement is an international protection tool that meets the specific needs of refugees and other vulnerable persons of concern. Resettlement is also a durable solution for refugees as well as a demonstration of international solidarity and responsibility-sharing with those countries hosting large numbers of refugees. It gives a chance to begin life anew to many who would otherwise have neither home nor country to call their own.
IOM works closely with governments, UNHCR, NGOs and other partners, such as airlines and airport authorities, to enable resettlement. In the last decade alone, IOM has organized the resettlement movements of more than 1.19 million refugees and other vulnerable persons of concern from 166 locations around the world.
The safe and dignified resettlement of refugees and other humanitarian entrants requires a comprehensive, humane and protection-oriented approach – one which recognizes the interdependencies of travel, health and integration as integral components of the resettlement process. Certain essential elements of IOM’s support in the field of resettlement benefit both the beneficiaries and the States undertaking to receive them. IOM believes that this holds true regardless of the type of scheme, the destination country or the profile of the migrants and refugees being assisted.
To prepare refugees for resettlement and to prepare States to receive them, IOM works closely with governments on the design and implementation of their resettlement programmes. At the earliest opportunity prior to departure, it is critical that refugees begin receiving timely and accurate information on their new home, and by extension host and receiving communities are sufficiently prepared to ensure necessary arrangements are in place for their safe travel and meaningful integration.
Other schemes such as complementary pathways increase the range of safe and legal means to achieving a third-country solution for those in need of international protection. Additionally, in the European context States can support one another to cope with the pressure on their asylum systems by relocating persons in need of international protection.