Home > Partners > Partnership in Protection > Resettlement Deployment Scheme
Resettlement Deployment Scheme
The UNHCR-ICMC Resettlement Deployment Scheme
Resettlement to a third country is an invaluable tool that offers refugees protection and a durable solution. To enhance the capacity to refer refugees for resettlement, UNHCR and the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) created the Resettlement Deployment Scheme in 1998. Under this scheme, ICMC manages a roster of experts who are deployed to UNHCR operations globally. Most deployees identify and refer refugees for resettlement. Others provide specialized protection expertise in areas such as interviewing unaccompanied refugee children or women at risk.
In response to the increasing resettlement needs of refugees, the number of deployees has rapidly grown over the years. In 1999, just eight people were deployed in the field, compared to 132 in 2013, who were sent to 54 UNHCR field offices in 29 countries. These experts referred nearly 48,000 refugees for resettlement, or about half of UNHCR's resettlement submissions for that year. They included child protection specialists who facilitated the resettlement of almost 5,400 unaccompanied and separated children and their caregivers.
The Deployment Scheme roster offers professionals the chance to work in a field setting and help boost UNHCR's capacity to respond to the resettlement needs of refugees. Deployees gain a broader perspective on various refugee contexts and the role of resettlement as a durable solution. Applicants to the roster must possess a minimum of two years of refugee-related casework experience and have an excellent command of English. Additional language skills such as French, Arabic or Spanish are required for some UNHCR duty stations. Applicants must also have the capacity to work in stressful situations and in hardship locations.
Once UNHCR indicates a need for a deployment position and issues specific terms of reference for the particular field office, ICMC identifies the best candidate from its roster. The person selected signs an ICMC employment contract as well as the Code of Conduct for both ICMC and UNHCR. Deployees are not considered to be UNHCR staff or consultants. The duration of a deployment is for a minimum of six months, which can be renewed.
ICMC works closely with UNHCR's Resettlement Service to plan and coordinate resettlement activities in the field. The United States and Canadian governments are among the principal contributors to the Deployment Scheme.
For more information about the UNHCR-ICMC Deployment Scheme and how to apply to the roster, please visit the ICMC website.