Repatriating refugees

Nurturing returnees
Securing welfare of repatriated emigrants
Repatriating displaced persons

Description

Repatriating refugees involves the organized return of displaced individuals to their country of origin, ensuring their safety, dignity, and sustainable reintegration. This strategy addresses challenges such as prolonged displacement, resource strain on host communities, and disrupted lives. Key actions include coordinating with governments and agencies, verifying voluntariness, providing transport and documentation, and supporting returnees with housing, livelihoods, and social services to remedy instability and foster long-term recovery in post-conflict or post-crisis environments.

Context

Though the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) continues to insist on resettlement, most countries have limited their entry quotas to those with special needs. In Europe, the Dublin and Schengen agreements as well as the Maastricht Treaty have given rise to "Fortress Europe". This hardened attitude in Europe as well as in other regions of the World has left repatriation as the only realistic option for the majority of the world's refugees.

Implementation

In 1993, UNHCR repatriation activities resulted in the successful completion of the task in Cambodia, Nicaragua and Suriname. Three million refugees have repatriated in the past two years (1993 estimate), including 2.5 million Afghans of which 1.9 million were assisted by UNHCR.

In 1993, the World Health Organization (WHO) helped in the repatriation of Cambodian refugees. In the same year, the International Organization for Migration's various activities in Mozambique included among others the transport and logistics for returning refugees from abroad.