GENEVA December, 2007- As part of its efforts to promote durable solutions for refugee individuals, the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) has launched a "European Resettlement Network for Practical Cooperation in Resettlement".

ICMC-Europe, with financing from the European Refugee Fund of the European Commission, is implementing the twelve-month project to foster practical cooperation in resettlement, and in particular to promote the establishment of the new network, in partnership with seven European non-governmental organisations (NGO's) currently engaged in the resettlement and/ or integration of refugees:

Asociación Comisión Católica Española de Migraciones (ACCEM)-   Spain

Caritas Sweden-   Sweden

Comisión Espanola de Ayudo al Refugiado (CEAR) - Spain

Consiglio Italiano per i Refugiati (CIR) - Italy

the Consortium of Refugee Assisting Organisations - Czech Republic

Finnish Red Cross- Finland

VluchtelingenWerk Nederlands - The Netherlands

The project is being implemented in close collaboration with the Resettlement Services Division of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva and with the European Council for Refugees and Exiles (ECRE).

ICMC Resettlement Expertise

ICMC has been actively involved in resettlement operations since its founding in 1951. During the 1970's for example, the organisation participated directly in the processing of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese boat people for resettlement in the United States. In recent years, ICMC has helped to resettle large numbers of refugees from the former Yugoslavia, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Today, ICMC's regional centre in Istanbul manages refugee processing for much of the Middle East and an area stretching from Afghanistan to Nepal, assisting thousands of refugees each year to resettle, primarily through the United States Refugee Program.
Before departing refugees receive cultural orientation to prepare for life and promote integration in their new country. In addition ICMC provides social services to Istanbul-based asylum seekers.

Under a joint agreement with UNHCR, ICMC also administers a global Resettlement Deployment Scheme. The Deployment Scheme identifies and provides qualified NGO staff and other experts to assist in UNHCR resettlement operations worldwide, increasing the organization's capacity for resettlement referrals as well as promoting information exchanges between NGO's and UNHCR. Since its inception in 1998, the program has deployed over 298 individuals, and over 60,000 refugees have been referred for resettlement consideration. Moreover, the program has proved a vital link between UNHCR offices in the field, and NGO and governmental bodies involved in resettlement.

Why a European Resettlement Network?

Creating a resettlement network is a first step towards building the human resources that European States will need in order to expand resettlement efforts. Currently, only a handful of European States operate resettlement programs, and of those, fewer still involve NGO's in the resettlement process. The project responds to an identified need among European NGO's to increase their operational resettlement capacity.

The proposal also addresses the absence of a practical cooperation network for the promotion of resettlement objectives at the European level.

Specifically, the project will provide practical training based on the application of resettlement criteria in the field, an exchange of best practices and case studies and the potential deployment of these trainees to UNHCR field operations.

Activities to Build and Strengthen the European Resettlement Network

The following activities will be conducted with the partner countries participating in the project: Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.

Undertaking national meetings, briefings, web publications, etc., to solicit and identify suitable European nationals from the seven participating NGO's (staff members and individuals from local NGO networks), as well as government counterparts where appropriate, to participate in a resettlement training workshop.

Development of a European Resettlement Training Curriculum, using partner's inputs and a specific needs assessment for a European context. The five-day training will include sections on "best interest determinations" for unaccompanied minors, interviewing for resettlement, fraud prevention, and resettlement as a strategic tool.

Implementation of the European Resettlement Training Programme (in June 2007), in collaboration with UNHCR staff and training consultants. In addition to the new curriculum, the training will include information on existing deployment rosters and a presentation by ICMC on the UNHCR-ICMC Resettlement Deployment Scheme.

Establishment of a European Roster of Expertise drawn from those who complete the new resettlement training, which ICMC-Europe will maintain and monitor in conjunction with the UNHCR-ICMC Resettlement Deployment Scheme. Roster members will serve as a resource for NGO's and government bodies involved in the European Resettlement Network. It is foreseen that the Network will work to secure ongoing funding for deployments to the field among partner NGO's (member organizations) and governmental representatives, for further capacity building. In addition, trainees will serve as a resource to existing rosters for personnel, particularly the UNHCR-ICMC Resettlement Deployment Scheme.

Publication of monthly refugee resettlement stories from the field by European ICMC deployees who either are or have been deployed to the field. These 'human interest' stories will be published on the website of ICMC and its partners, and ECRE, to illustrate the resettlement process, highlighting issues relating to the particular situation of vulnerable groups, such as women-at-risk and children, and issues relating to the integration of resettled refugees.

Elaboration of a European Guide to Resettlement, highlighting the UNHCR training provided to NGO's (and governmental bodies) and the practical application of this training by member organizations. This guide will include profiles of field experiences gained by Europeans currently participating in the UNHCR-ICMC roster. The guide will serve both as a general training tool for future use, as well as highlighting the European dimension of resettlement.
The project will be concluded with a final European Resettlement Network Workshop, at which European countries not yet included in the programme are invited to participate to define a second stage programme of activities for the European Resettlement Network.