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GENEVA: Almost 2.4 million refugees will need resettling next year, the United Nations said on Tuesday, at a time when a number of countries have slashed resettlement spots.
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, warned of a dire shortage of options for such refugees, who cannot return home and face risks in their country of asylum.
“Expanding resettlement is urgent and achievable,” Jackie Keegan, who leads UNHCR’s durable solutions and field protection support service, told journalists in Geneva.
“Increased quotas, bringing more countries on board, and accelerating processing will ensure this life-saving tool reaches more of those in need.” In its annual Projected Global Resettlement Needs report, UNHCR said 2.37 million people from 43 countries of origin and living in 76 countries of asylum would need resettling elsewhere next year.
