Durable Solutions

World Refugee Day 2004

On the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution that recognized June 20^th as World Refugee Day. The first universal commemoration of this day was in 2001.

After paying tribute to refugee youth in 2003, World Refugee Day 2004 focused on “durable solutions”, or voluntary repatriation, local integration and resettlement.  Voluntary repatriation - returning to one’s home country – is considered the most desirable solution.  If returning home is not feasible because of ongoing instability or conflict, then establishing roots in the host or asylum country may be another option.  Finally, resettlement to a third country can be a solution for individuals who are not sufficiently protected in the original host country or who are considered to be particularly vulnerable for various reasons (e.g., disabled/injured, women-at-risk.).  This resource page provides access to a variety of information sources from FMO that expand further on the concept of durable solutions and their efficacy over the years; included below are research guides, full-text documents and journal articles, web-based resources, and contact details for related organizations.

Please visit UNHCR’s World Refugee Day page for more information about events taking place around the world to honor June 20^th.

World Refugee Day also coincides with Refugee Week in the United Kingdom.  More information is available on the Refugee Week website.

See also:

• Africa Day Resource Page
• Livelihoods Resource Page

Introductions/Overviews

• Chimni, B.S. “From resettlement to involuntary repatriation: towards a critical history of durable solutions to refugee problems,” New Issues in Refugee Research, Working Paper, no. 2 (May 1999) (PDF file 104 KB)
• Crisp, Jeff. “The local integration and local settlement of refugees: a conceptual and historical analysis,” New Issues in Refugee Research, Working Paper, no. 102 (April 2004) (PDF file 90.9 KB)
• Ghanem, Tania. “When forced migrants return 'home': the psychosocial difficulties returnees encounter in the reintegration process,” RSC Working Paper, no. 16 (October 2003) (PDF file 181 KB)
• “Going home: land and property issues,” Forced Migration Review, no. 7 (April 2000)
• “Return to peace: post-conflict realities,” Forced Migration Review, no. 11 (October 2001)
• Van Hear, Nicholas. “From durable solutions to transnational relations: home and exile among refugee diasporas,” New Issues in Refugee Research, Working Paper, no. 83 (March 2003) (PDF file 251 KB)

Research Guides

• Landau, Loren B.  “FMO research guide: urban refugees” (February 2004)
• Schmidt, Anna. “FMO research guide: camps versus settlements” (September 2003)

Documents

Selected full-text documents (for more, search in the Digital Library)

• Beyani, Chaloka. “The content, scope and duration of returnee protection. Briefing paper” (1993)
• Chimni, B.S. “Legal and policy issues relating to UNHCR's involvement in the promotion, facilitation or encouragement of voluntary repatriation” (1993)
• Cuny, Frederick C. and Barry N. Stein. “The contemporary practice of voluntary repatriation: repatriation during conflict, reintegration amidst devastation” (1994)
• Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ). “Concepts and experiences of demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants: guidelines and instruments for future programmes” (1997)
• ECRE. “Bridges and fences: refugee perceptions of integration in the European Union” (2000)
• Ferris, Elizabeth G. “Refugees: new approaches to traditional solutions” (1996)
• Goodwin-Gill, Guy. “Voluntary repatriation: legal and policy issues” (1986)
• Harrell-Bond, Barbara. “Refugees and the international system: the evolution of solutions” (1995)
• Rogers, Rosemarie. “Entering through the door of refugee resettlement” (1993)
• Schaffer, Jessica. “Repatriation and re-integration: durable solutions?” (1994)
• Stein, Barry N. “Durable solutions for developing country refugees,” International Migration Review 20(74): 264-282 (1986)
• Weiss-Fagen, Patricia.  “Meaning and modes of reintegration” (1996)

Web Resources

Selected web-based information resources (for more, search the FMO website)

• Good practice guides on integration of refugees (EU Networks on Integration of Refugees)
• Handbook - voluntary repatriation: international protection (UNHCR)
• Integration-net = Intégration-net (Citizenship and Immigration Canada)
• Refugee & humanitarian program (Australia, Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs)
• Refugee resettlement program (U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement)
• Resettlement (UNHCR)
• Resettlement handbook (UNHCR)

Relevant Organizations

Contact details for relevant organizations (for more, search in the Organizations Directory)

• Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR)
• Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
• Consiglio Italiano per i Refugiati (CIR) / Italian Refugee Council
• Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)
• European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
• EU Networks on Integration of Refugees (Refugeenet)
• Exodus World Service
• France Terre d'Asile (FTDA)
• Greek Council for Refugees
• Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
• Immigration and Refugee Services of America (IRSA)
• International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC)
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
• International Organization for Migration (IOM)
• International Rescue Committee (IRC)
• Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Ministries
• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS)
• Metropolitan Immigrant Settlement Association (MISA)
• Montréal Centre for Inter-University Research on Immigration, Integration and Urban Dynamics (IM)
• National Immigration Forum
• Overlegcentrum voor Integratie van Vluchtelingen
• Poradna pro integraci (PPI) / Counselling Centre for Integration (PPI)
• Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration (PCERII)
• Reception and Integration Agency (RIA), Ireland
• Refugee Council of Australia
• Refugee Council, UK
• Refugee Council U.S.A.
• Settlement and Integration Services Organization (SISO)
• Swedish Refugee Council (SRC) / Svenska flyktingrådet
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR)
• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS)
• U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)
• VluchtelingenWerk Nederland / Dutch Refugee Council
• World Relief Refugee Services