Today refugee resettlement advocates from around the world ended their annual 3-day meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. (I wonder if they discussed Switzerland’s problems with refugees?)
GENEVA, July 2 (UNHCR) – Representatives from 34 countries gathered this week in Geneva to coordinate international efforts to help the hundreds of thousands of refugees who continue to be at risk in the countries where they have sought asylum.
The three-day Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement, which wrapped up on Wednesday, brought together government representatives, members of non-governmental organizations and experts from the UN refugee agency. This is the largest and most important event of its kind in the world.
Here are the numbers from last year. Notice the evil US is leading the pack in saving the world (again!).
Last year, UNHCR submitted 99,000 cases for resettlement, 83 percent more than in 2006. Some 75,300 refugees were admitted by 14 resettlement countries in 2007. The main resettlement countries were the United States (48,300 cases, including family reunions), Canada (11,200), Australia (9,600), Sweden (1,800) and Norway (1,100).
The main countries of origin of resettled refugees last year were Myanmar (20,200), Burundi (6,300), Somalia (5,900), Iraq (3,800) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2,500).
The meeting concluded with a vow to do more, and bring more refugees to western countries—what else!