Joint statement: The Resettlement Framework is a chance for the EU to bring more refugees to safety

Today, 22 civil society organisations - including the Danish Refugee Council, Caritas Europa, International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Oxfam - are together calling for the Union Resettlement Framework (URF) to be swiftly and fully put into action, in order to create a more coordinated, predictable and protection-focused approach to refugee resettlement. 

Resettlement is just one - but a vitally important - safe pathway for people seeking protection. It enables people in some of the world’s most difficult refugee situations whose needs are not met to be transferred to relative safety elsewhere, such as in EU states, where they have a chance to recover and rebuild their lives. It is a crucial part of a functioning asylum system, in addition to upholding the fundamental right to asylum for those who arrive via irregular routes.

While the number of people in need of resettlement has soared by 20% in the past 12 months, this year, the total number of resettlement pledges offered by EU states has dropped by about 3%, to roughly 15,480 per year (or just under 30,000 over two years). This accounts for less than 1% of the 2.4 million people in need of resettlement globally, as identified by UNHCR.

Despite the level of needs, only 14 EU member states have pledged to resettle refugees in 2024 and 2025, down on the 17 who made such commitments last year. Two states - France and Germany - are leading these efforts, pledging to resettle 42% and 19% of the total respectively. 

Read the full statement below.