GOOD PRACTICES IN FAMILY REUNIFICATION OF RESETTLED REFUGEES
COUNTRY DELEGATIONS' REPORTS TO THE UNHCR ANNUAL TRIPARTITE CONSULTATIONS
ON RESETTLEMENT
18 - 19 June 2003
Action Item for June 2003 ATC
1. Following the agenda setting discussion at the Tripartite Meeting on
Resettlement held 17 –19 March in Geneva, it was agreed that country
delegations at the Annual Tripartite Consultations in June 2003 will engage
in a discussion to facilitate an exchange of good practices vis-à-vis
family reunion.
2. Each country, preferably through a joint presentation by state and NGO
delegates, is asked to prepare a brief report using the attached template
on page 2 as a guide, on the programs in place which promote family unity
for resettled refugees, as well as the role of family links in selecting
or prioritizing refugees for resettlement.
3. Reports should be forwarded to the Chair of the ATC by 13 June 2003 or
brought to the meeting.
Background:
4. “UNHCR and many countries consider family reunification a cornerstone
of effective refugee protection and successful resettlement programs.
Regrettably, the circumstances of war and persecution that fragment refugee
families are often followed by administrative and policy restrictions in
resettlement countries that prolong the separation of families, thus impeding
the successful establishment of those in resettlement countries and often
diminishing protection for those who are left behind in countries of origin
or of first asylum.”
5. The CCR paper, (ATC June 2003) built upon the foundation laid the previous
year by the UNHCR paper on family reunion, entitled, Family Reunification
in the Context of Resettlement and Integration. This paper outlined five
guiding principles to protect family unity and identified some of the key
areas for policy consideration in improving family reunification opportunities
for refugees. The paper discussed the basis in international law and in
UNHCR’s protection mandate for family reunification, presented a solution
to the difficulty of defining family in an international, multicultural context
by proposing the use of the dependency principle, discussed the implications
of narrow and broader definitions of family and identified some of the procedural
challenges in improving family reunification. Moreover, the paper reinforced
the principles expressed at the International Conference on the Reception
and Integration of Resettled Refugees (ICRIRR) in describing the benefits
of family reunification, not only for the refugees themselves but also for
the resettlement countries that draw on their successful establishment.
GOOD PRACTICES IN FAMILY REUNIFICATION OF RESETTLED REFUGEES ATC 2003
RESETTLEMENT COUNTRY:
Information compiled by:
Summary of ‘good practices’ in facilitating family reunification
of resettled refugees:
(Please use additional space as needed to a maximum of 2 pages.)
A. Policies and practices to promote the maintenance of family units during
the initial resettlement process:
(More information may be obtained @ …….. website or by
contacting …….)
B. Policies, practices, and time frames for reuniting split refugee families
through refugee and immigration programs:
(More information may be obtained @ …….. website or by
contacting …….)
C. The use of family links in selecting or prioritizing refugees for
resettlement:
(More information may be obtained @ …….. website or by
contacting …….)
D. Efforts to combat fraud through verification of family relationships:
(More information may be obtained @ …….. website or by
contacting …….)
E. Other information:
(More information may be obtained @ …….. website or by
contacting …….) |
