Resettlement as an Instrument of Protection

No. 67 (XLII) - 1991

The Executive Committee,

Reaffirming the link between international protection and resettlement as an instrument of protection and its important role as a durable solution in specific circumstances,

(a) Calls on governments in a position to assist, to establish refugee admission ceilings, in the context of international burden-sharing;

(b) Requests States when setting refugee admission ceilings to include an adequate contingency provision which could be available depending on need to address rapidly evolving situations;

(c) Recognizes that rapidly evolving situations can result in fluctuating resettlement requirements from on year to another and that admission ceilings should be adaptable to such developments;

(d) Recognizes the need for rapid and flexible response to UNHCR resettlement requirements in particular for vulnerable groups and emergency protection cases subject to refugee admission requirements of receiving States;

(e) Acknowledges the utility of close consultation with UNHCR in the resettlement activities of the Office;

(f) Recognizes that in reviewing UNHCR resettlement requests the protection element inherent in such requests should be taken into account;

(g) Emphasizes that UNHCR pursues resettlement only as a last resort, when neither voluntary repatriation nor local integration is possible, when it is in the best interests of the refugees and where appropriate.