Returnees

Of the other "durable solutions" that UNHCR seeks for refugees, only a minority have the opportunity to be resettled to third countries or to be locally integrated into their host societies. Over the years, UNHCR has managed numerous large-scale voluntary repatriation programmes that brought many millions of refugees home. In Afghanistan alone, some 5 million refugees have returned with UNHCR assistance since 2002. But UNHCR offices also assist with many small-scale - and even individual repatriations - of refugees and internally displaced people on a routine basis. Where necessary and possible, UNHCR offices in the receiving country also assist and monitor their reintegration to ensure the repatriation was a sustainable solution.