London, United Kingdom, December 12, 2023 —  As leaders from around the world prepare to gather at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) in Geneva from 13-15 December, IRC UK is calling on the UK government to deliver on its repeated promises to scale up safe routes. 

The last GRF in 2019 garnered more than 1,400 pledges and initiatives, including a pledge from the UK government to resettle 5,000 of the most vulnerable refugees through a UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS). Four years on, the UK has failed to deliver on its pledge, offering protection to just over half of those it committed to.  Instead of delivering on its promise of protection, the UK has chosen to close its borders and criminalise people seeking asylum.  

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in many refugees’ countries of origin has deteriorated rapidly. The International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) 2024 Emergency Watchlist, to be launched on 14 December, highlights how the 20 countries at greatest risk of intensified humanitarian crisis next year are being pushed to the brink by factors including the rise in violent coups, the failure to uphold international humanitarian law, exposure to climate risk, and increases in public debt - all matched by diminishing international support. Watchlist countries and their neighbors are home to 77% of people who are forcibly displaced; the UK, US and Europe host just 10%, yet they are setting a tone that normalizes closing borders.

This GRF, the IRC UK is calling on the UK government to play its part in global resettlement of the most vulnerable refugees and increase its previous pledge to at least 10,000 resettlement places each year under its UK Resettlement Scheme. To reduce dangerous journeys to the UK we are also calling on the UK to expand access to Refugee Family Reunion and pilot a Refugee Visa allowing people fleeing conflicts and persecution to apply to travel safely to the UK.

Laura Kyrke-Smith, IRC UK Executive Director, says,

“The Government is bringing its “Rwanda Safety Bill” to Parliament in the very same week that world leaders meet for the Global Refugee Forum.

Whilst the IRC welcomes the pledges we expect to be made this week by the Foreign Office at the GRF, any international commitments made by the UK risk being undermined by the Government’s cruel, costly and ineffective approach to people seeking safety here in the UK. 

The GRF is an opportunity to course-correct. We hope the spirit of responsibility-sharing and compassion on display at the Forum helps reorient the UK’s policy to ensure that refugee rights are protected at home as well as abroad.

We urge the UK government to deliver on its repeated promises to increase safe routes, through expanding refugee resettlement, family reunion, and piloting alternative secure pathways for asylum seekers. Progress in these areas is the only effective long-term approach to manage refugee movements.”

Samira*, an Afghan client living in the UK, said on the UK’s resettlement schemes for Afghans,

“The government’s broken promises on resettlement and safe routes have resulted in extensive delays that have left desperate cases awaiting an initial decision for over two years—a complete betrayal to individuals who risked their lives alongside the British forces and government. 

I can personally testify to the evident absence of government support for these families torn apart, a sentiment shared by many, including myself, who served with the UK and are now without access to a secure route for my family. The separation of numerous families is a distressing reality, and with time running out to safeguard at-risk Afghans and avert further tragedies in the Channel, I urgently appeal to the government to expedite application processing, broaden the scope of existing schemes, and address issues surrounding family reunion.”

*Name has been changed to protect the client's identity 

Notes to Editor: 

The IRC have released a new briefing paper warning that this year’s event must offer more than empty promises - it is an opportunity to set out bold, ambitious pledges alongside a concrete roadmap towards meeting them. In particular, the briefing paper calls for participants to: