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Voluntary returns

The objectives which guide our work on return are to ensure that the protection needs of refugees are upheld, and that when refugees and asylum seekers return they will be safe and free from a fear of persecution, are treated with dignity and that they have the prospect of decent livelihoods in conditions allowing their return to be sustainable.

This section provides details about the assisted voluntary return programmes run in the UK; rights, principles and guidelines for voluntary return; details about voluntary return to Iraq, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe; and pointers to additional sources of information about conditions in countries of return.

Please note: Most of the UK assisted voluntary return programmes are run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on behalf of the UK Border Agency (UKBA). They are not Refugee Council-run programmes.

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