Brussels, Belgium, 31 January 2025 — The IRC is calling for the EU to ramp up its refugee resettlement efforts to support the most vulnerable victims of war and disaster.
Refugee resettlement has long-standing roots in Europe, providing safe-haven to some of the most vulnerable refugees since the immediate aftermath of World War II.
Yet while the EU has made numerous commitments to scale up its resettlement schemes in recent years, these ambitions have not been met. Despite needs being at an all-time high, EU states together resettled about 11,000 refugees in 2023 - far short of their target of 16,000. And since then, they have demonstrated even less commitment to this vital protection tool, pledging to resettle just 31,000 refugees in 2024 and 2025. This equates to just 15,500 refugees per year. Huge question marks also remain over how EU states intend to reach these modest targets, having failed to meet their combined resettlement goals every year since 2020.
Over 120 million people are displaced worldwide. The decision to suspend the US refugee resettlement scheme will leave many thousands of the world’s most vulnerable people trapped in limbo in countries that are unable to support their needs, unless European and other countries increase their pledges. Resettlement helps to ease the pressure on the low- and middle-income countries currently hosting 75% of the world’s refugees, and also enables receiving countries to welcome people in a humane and efficient way.
The EU’s recently-adopted Union Resettlement Framework (URF) offers a glimmer of hope for the EU to scale up this vital pathway. It must be swiftly and fully put into action.
Harlem Desir, IRC’s Senior Vice President, Europe, said:
“At this time of unprecedented global displacement, and in light of recent decisions made by the Trump administration to suspend US refugee admissions, resettlement is a safe, effective and orderly way for states to welcome people in need. It is an intrinsic part of any well-functioning asylum system, giving people a viable option to reach safety other than risking their lives on dangerous journeys.
“The tools are available to scale up resettlement to the EU today, but they need renewed investment and commitment. We’re calling on EU states to, at the very least, fulfil their pledges to resettle at least 31,000 people in 2024 and 2025 - a target that is possible to meet if there is the political will to do so - and step this up further in coming years. As global needs escalate and the US backslides, EU member states should urgently put the new Union Resettlement Framework - part of the EU Pact on Asylum and Migration - into practice, enabling a more coordinated, predictable and protection-centred approach to refugee resettlement.
We’re entering a new, challenging era for refugee protection. The EU has a moral and strategic imperative to step up and lead by example.”
Notes to editors:
What is refugee resettlement?
- Resettlement is an internationally-agreed framework, enabling the transfer of refugees who have already fled their country and claimed asylum in a second - such as Türkiye, Pakistan or Uganda - to a third country that is more able to support them and meet their needs.
- Refugees are identified as in need of resettlement when they have particular needs or vulnerabilities in their country of asylum, and cannot return to their country of origin. A large majority of people in need of resettlement are women and girls, survivors of violence, and people with specific protection needs.
- According to UNHCR, 2.9 million refugees are estimated to be in need of resettlement in 2025 - a sharp 20% increase on 2024. Fewer than 1% of the world’s refugees will ever be resettled.