172,000 refugees need new homes in 2012 – UNHCR

The UNHCR yesterday urged more countries to open their doors to those who need a permanent home, as 172,000 refugees would need to be resettled by 2012, over twice that of the 80,000 places available.

“Most refugees either eventually return to their home countries or are allowed to settle in countries of first asylum,” noted Wei-Meng Lim-Kabaa, deputy director at the UN refugee agency’s international protection division.

“But for some – for example, acutely sensitive political cases – resettlement in a third country offers the only possible solution,” she added.

About 80,000 resettlement places are offered by states annually, but this is far outstripped by demand. For this year, 172,307 people are projected to require resettlement. “If states do not come forward with more places, almost 100,000 vulnerable refugees in need of resettlement will remain without any solution this year,” said Ms Lim-Kabaa.

“It is of paramount importance to understand that these people have no alternative solution and failure to resettle them means these people remain in an agonising limbo,” she added.

Indeed, if states fail to take in more refugees, the accumulative numbers in three to five years who need resettlement would reach 780,000.

The conflict in Libya is adding to the numbers of people on the queue for resettlement, with many stranded on the borders with Tunisia and Egypt with no other solution in sight, noted the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

“UNHCR is calling on states to make available resettlement places for these refugees outside their regular quota,” it said.

“Faced with this extraordinary situation UNHCR is asking states to speed up their decision-taking procedures as well as their departure clearances to bring these refugees in safety as quickly as possible,” added the agency.

In all, 25 countries including the US, Australia, Norway and Brazil, are regularly offering places for resettlement, noted the UNHCR.

The US continue to accept the most number of refugees, with 54,077 arriving in the country in 2010.