Prsentation PowerPoint

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Resettlement a   Dissemination Conference
Project Durable Solutions in Practice   May 8th,
2008 Bucharest, Romania Results Belgian
participation Marie Huberlant, Vinciane
Masurelle, Agnieszka Sepiol, Christophe Jansen
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• Belgian Context
• Overview look and learn activities
• Observations lessons learned from the project
• Towards a Belgian approach further steps for
  Belgium

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1. Belgian Context
Belgium Resettlement

• No structural resettlement programme
• Not retained in the final policy paper of Leterme
  I
• In the past, Belgium was engaged in various forms
  of resettlement activities on an occasional
  basis
• Jews fleeing from Germany in 1930s
• Hungarians in the 1950s after the uprising in
  1956
• Refugees from Uganda, Chilli and Vietnam in the
  1970s
• Evacuation of refugees from Kosovo in 1999

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1. Belgian Context
A favourable context

• Drop of asylum requests - from 42,691 in 2000 to
  12,600 in 2007
• Lobbying work by various Belgian actors (for ex.
  VwV, CGRS,)
• Resettlement as a proactive strategy of
  protection system
• Participation of Belgian actors in twinning
  projects DSIP, United Kingdom Ireland
  Belgium (CGRS) Slovenia
• Readiness of CGRS to participate in a
  resettlement programme
• Memorandum 6 priorities
• April 2008 visit of the Commissioner General to
  Tham Hin camp in Thailand (invited to a
  resettlement selection mission by the Dutch State
  Secretary for Justice in an effort to convince
  Belgium to also engage in resettlement)
• Readiness of Fedasil through expertise and
  extended network

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2. Overview DSIP Look-and-Learn Activities

• June 2007 Kick-off meeting in the Netherlands
• November 2007 Briefing selection mission in the
  Netherlands
• December 2007 Selection mission in Thailand
• January 2008 Workshop in Prague
• January 2008 Briefing cultural orientation
  mission
• February 2008 Cultural orientation mission in
  Thailand
• March 2008 Arrival of resettled refugees and
  study visit in Afoort
• April 2008 Workshop on resettlement in Brussels
• May 2008 Closing conference

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Kick-Off Meeting

• General introduction
• DSIP Partners (respective national contexts)
• Dutch system and actors (3 levels-approach)
• Output Preliminary report to FEDASIL Board of
  Directors
• Further project activities (workshop in Brussels)
• Further steps for Fedasil

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Technical observations on the Selection Mission
(1)

• Selection on mission on dossier basis
  (detention) combining
• Balancing between selection reception
  integration capacities
• Satisfactory timing (Nov RRF Dec. mission
  March arrival)
• Pre-selection selection high selection rate
• Excellent team spirit coordination
• Tasks overlap
• Sequencing of activities (different nature of
  interviews may be confusing reinforced
  introduction and conclusion protocol needed,
  specific information methodology for unselected
  cases needed for COA)

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Technical observations on the Selection Mission
(2)

• More exhaustive daily debriefing sessions needed
• Structural feedback on past reception
  integration experiences by COA - coordination
• More exchange with UNHCR on unselected cases by
  IND
• Geographic specialization IND in a context of
  diversity of nationalities (urban caseload)
• Integration potential counter-indication vs
  criteria (rarely applied)
• Mission costs increasing for IND (no extending
  support capacities for UNHCR)
• Coordination between resettlement countries
  needed (especially if increased number of
  resettlement countries)

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Dutch Cultural Orientation Training in Tham Hin
Camp 4th 8th February 2008

• Observations
• Accuracy of the given information
• Adapted to the specificities of the resettled
  group
• High professionality of trainers
• Challenges for Belgium re. Co-training
• should be designed with regards to the whole
  integration process
• gt Continuity vs complex Belgian integration
  policies
• Creation of specific training material for the
  resettled refugees
• Finding adequate staff with the appropriate
  skills
• Conclusions
• Efficient and useful, especially for refugees who
  know little on the European culture
• Best practices could certainly be used by Belgium

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2-day workshop in April in Brussels

• Objectives
• Exchange with project partners
• Exchange with CGRS and Fedasil staff
• Knowledge development through presence of experts
• Programme
• General introduction on resettlement
• Setting up of a programme
• Sessions on selection, reception integration
• About 70 participants
• Conclusions at a very early phase

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Workshop in Brussels Preparation of selection

• CGRS responsible for the selection of resettled
  refugees
• Choice of actors participating in the mission
• Establishment of quota
• Choice of selection method selection mission
  versus dossier-based selection)
• Priority to the traditional international
  protection criteria (Geneva Convention,
  Subsidiary Protection, Humanitarian grounds)
• Importance of international cooperation between
  resettlement states

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Workshop in Brussels Preparation of reception

• Fedasil resources could be easily used for
  reception of resettled refugees
• Continuity of the process selection reception
  integration
• Importance to generate public support
• Necessity to develop monitoring/research on
  resettled refugees
• Choice of adequate infrastructure
• Limited length of stay in centres
• Link with the integration phase

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Workshop in Brussels Preparation of integration

• Specific vs mainstream approach
  (migrants-refugees-resettled)
• Placement in municipalities
• Obligation or voluntary commitment / Group or
  individual placement / Planned housing mechanism
• Role of Ngos as service providers (complementary
  approach to existing local services)
• Independence community development
• Continuous review and monitoring public support
• Diversity of approaches towards integration in
  Belgium
• Coordination division of responsibilities
  between federal, regional and municipality levels
• Existing experiences

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Observations Lessons learned from the project

• Dutch system coherent and effective in a
  specific context
• Project design from general to specific, direct
  observation, link with national scene
• Multidisciplinary project team (CGRS Fedasil)
• Development of technical expertise with a view to
  policy development (direct observation -
  comparison to reference system the best
  analytical tool)
• Before after the project for CGRS and FEDASIL
• Need for coordination at national level (workshop
  as a start)

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3. TOWARDS A BELGIAN APPROACH
Futher steps for Belgium

• Political choice - the decision must be taken at
  a political level (developments on European scene
  incentive)
• Presence of resettlement actions in the Belgian
  Multi-annual program of the ERF III
• Policy dialogue between the Belgian
  institutions/actors concerning a future
  resettlement programme
• to elaborate a policy framework for Belgium
• to prepare selection, reception and integration
  operational aspects

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• Our special thanks to all DSIP partners and to
  you for your attention