Refugee Council and the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (ATCR)

The ATCR process brings together the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the governments and NGOs of countries that resettle refugees, providing an opportunity for information-sharing and strategising in support of refugee resettlement.

In 2008-09, the UK government is the Chair of the ATCR. The Refugee Council is the ATCR NGO Focal Point. This means that the Refugee Council is co-ordinating the NGO participation in the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (ATCR). We are liaising with the UK Border Agency and UNHCR in order to represent the NGO voice in the ATCR process which is described below.
The main ATCR meeting will take place in Geneva in late June 2009. In between ATCR meetings, the Working Group on Resettlement (WGR), composed of governments and UNHCR, holds two meetings year. The next Working Group will be held on 24-25 February 2009 in Geneva.
This year's ATCR themes include:

• Integration of resettled refugees
• Twinning of organisations (including NGOs) in order to exchange experiences of resettlement work
• Refugee resettlement in the context of protracted refugee situations

As NGO Focal Point, the Refugee Council encourages NGOs in resettlement countries as well as those whose countries may be interested in becoming a resettlement country to take part in the ATCR and join the international network of NGOs. The network:

• Promotes sharing of information, policies and best practices between resettlement NGOs in different countries.
• Promotes international coordination of NGO efforts aimed at making resettlement an effective and accessible durable solution for refugees.
• Promotes contribution and integration of NGO input into proceedings at ATCR and other fora relating to refugee resettlement.

If your NGO would like to join the network and for more information on the Refugee Council's role as NGO Focal Point, please e mail focalpoint@refugeeresettlement.net or direct your query through www.refugeeresettlement.net