UNHCR's response to the UK Government's announcement on new resettlement initiative for refugee children at risk

In response to the UK Government’s announcement of a new resettlement initiative for refugee children at risk, the UNHCR Representative to the United Kingdom, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa said:

“UNHCR welcomes today’s announcement by the Government to further increase refugee resettlement opportunities in the United Kingdom, building on the positive experiences of the Gateway resettlement programme as well as the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) for 20,000 Syrian refugees. This is particularly important given that global resettlement needs stand at over 1,000,000. We encourage the UK to continue to increase resettlement opportunities for vulnerable refugees as the global resettlement needs continue to grow.

UNHCR supports any initiative that seeks to address the protection needs of refugee children at risk, including through resettlement and other legal pathways. We look forward to working with the UK authorities on developing and implementing this new initiative, in accordance with the principles of child protection and upholding the child’s best interests.

This latest UK Government decision adds to continuing international efforts to provide solutions for Syrian and other large refugee groups with urgent protection needs through resettlement and other forms of admissions. These also represent concrete gestures of solidarity and burden sharing with countries hosting massive numbers of refugees fleeing conflicts and crises in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.