Returnees

Somali refugees board a plane that will take them home to Mogadishu from Dadaab camp in Kenya.

For many of the millions forced to flee, returning home concludes an often traumatic time in exile. It may happen months, years or even decades after they left – and sometimes not at all.

Over the years, UNHCR has managed numerous voluntary repatriation programmes that have brought millions of displaced people home. We also assist with small-scale and individual repatriations, and monitor the reintegration of returnees to ensure that their repatriation was a sustainable solution.

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Amid expanding global conflicts, 70.8 million people are now displaced worldwide.

The decision to repatriate voluntarily is an individual one that is affected by many factors, including the circumstances surrounding flight and conditions for return.

UNHCR plays a leading role, collaborating with States and other partners, to promote, facilitate, and coordinate voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity. We do this through:

Supporting the retaining and expansion of skills, resources and assets during displacement that will support refugees upon their return;
Ensuring the exercise of a free and informed choice including by compiling and sharing updated information on their country and region of origin with refugees, organising "go-and-see" visits, and providing counselling;
Supporting return transportation;
Monitoring the situation of returnees upon their return;
Facilitating the participation of returnees in peace and reconciliation activities; Supporting interventions such as access to justice and house, land and property restitution in return areas;
Collaborating on livelihoods interventions in return areas;
Promoting the inclusion of returnees in national development planning in countries of return.