International Conference on the Reception and Integration of Resettled Refugees

Panelists: Debbie Elizondo, Chief of the Resettlement Section at UNHCR; Deborah DeWinter, UNHCR Consultant for the conference; Marguerite Rivera Houze, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration; Mark Hetfield, representative of the RCUSA to the Steering Committee of the conference; John Fredriksson, Associate Executive Director of IRSA/USCR; and Lavinia Limon, Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Department of Health and Human Services.

The International Migration Policy Program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Refugee Council USA (RCUSA) hosted a meeting to discuss the planning and development of the International Conference on the Reception and Integration of Resettled Refugees. The conference will be held in Stockholm during the spring of 2001. The Stockholm conference follows discussions in Geneva and several capitals around the world where the integration aspects of the international resettlement agenda have become more prominent. Following a specific proposal put forward by non-governmental organizations at the 1999 Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (UNHCR-NGOs-Governments) last year, the project now has gained focus and direction, and UNHCR has deployed staff in Geneva to bring it to fruition. After a welcome by Kathleen Newland of the Carnegie Endowment, John Fredriksson chaired the discussion. Debbie Elizondo and Deborah DeWinter gave a presentation on UNHCR’s planning process and encouraged input on the conference initiative. Integration of resettled refugees has often been considered outside the range of UNHCR’s activities. Recently, however, UNHCR has grown concerned that "integration potential" may negatively influence the selection and promotion of resettlement cases who need to be offered this type of international protection. In many countries, public and political support for resettlement is directly affected by the degrees of "success" or "failure" of refugee integration as perceived by the general public. As UNHCR seeks to expand resettlement opportunities, a standardized body of knowledge about successful integration efforts would help educate the relevant policy makers and publics on this important topic. The Stockholm conference will provide a forum for countries recently beginning resettlement to receive some mentoring, while allowing traditional resettlement countries to be refreshed by new perspectives and approaches. UNHCR made it clear that the conference is intended to be an exchange of ideas between partners in resettlement, including the government, NGOs and refugees from each country. Deborah DeWinter outlined numerous goals for the conference, including the recognition of ten to twelve principles of successful integration. A manual on "best practices," dealing with successful models of resettlement that are known to be effective in helping resettled refugees achieve self-sufficiency, was also discussed as a means to inform countries newly involved in resettlement activities (including Benin, Burkina Faso, Brazil and Chile). After the presentation by UNHCR, the other panelists were invited to give their initial reactions. Marguerite Rivera Houze acknowledged that understanding of integration is tenuous, and that its measurement is difficult. "Do we even know it when we see it?" she questioned. Ms. Rivera Houze went on to suggest that the foundation for successful integration is laid at the time of reception, and she stressed sharing lessons with new countries of resettlement. Lavinia Limon suggested that UNHCR provide a timeline of the US resettlement experience in order to demonstrate the impact that numerous factors-- including refugee flows, recessions, devolution of government-- have on the evolution of integration programs. Ms. Limon also stressed the pressure that her co-workers at the Office of Refugee Resettlement are under to, "get it right." Problems with the reception or integration of refugees, Ms. Limon noted, are often used to fuel political backlashes against the resettlement program, potentially threatening the ability to use resettlement as a protection tool. Mark Hetfield echoed UNHCR’s view that "integration potential" should not play a role in excluding refugees from admission for resettlement. He pointed out that history has proven that it is not possible to predict how well refugees will integrate into their resettlement communities, and that there are plenty of surprise success stories. Mr. Hetfield stressed that resettlement is a tool of refugee protection and should not include categories- like skill testing - that are applied to immigrants. He also voiced concern that resettlement issues be kept separate at the conference from the issue of spontaneous asylum seekers, which is much more contentious for many of the countries participating. Mr. Hetfield ended his comments by suggesting that the conference set modest goals, lest participants view it as a failure for not achieving loftier ones. Report by Jennifer McElhinny