Most of the world’s refugees end up in overcrowded camps or settlements in neighbouring countries that are ill-equipped to deal with them. They can spend years housed in tents and shanty towns, living off food aid and with no prospect of returning home. Some are even subjected to further violence or discrimination, and regional instability may prevent them from integrating locally.
UNHCR advocates for the resettlement of refugees who have particular protection needs and are stuck in situations where both voluntary repatriation and local integration are impossible. Since 2004, the UK has been running the Gateway Protection Programme – an initiative that enables several hundred refugees a year to settle in different communities in Britain. Borne out of a partnership between UNHCR and the UK government, the programme has already helped several hundreds of families fleeing persecution in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burma.
Persons arriving in Britain under this programme are distinct from asylum seekers as they have already been granted refugee status. They have been pre-screened by both UNHCR and the government in their country of current refuge and often consist of very vulnerable members of society.
Through local partner refugee agencies, the initiative provides support and orientation for the selected refugees upon arrival to the UK, and families are then carefully integrated into society. The scheme is funded by the Home Office, including housing benefits, income support and English language classes.
January 2008. By Hanna Hindstrom, UNHCR London
For further information on the UK resettlement programme, please visit:
www.unhcr.org.uk/what-we-do/Resettlement.html
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Three Oromo refugee boys from Ethiopia recently resettled in Brighton. © Howard Davies |
