Since 2013, Belgium has already resettled more than 4,500 vulnerable refugees who are entitled to protection in our country. Most of them are Syrians resettled from Turkey and Lebanon.

Early in October, Fedasil invited in Brussels all actors to look back on the past 10 years. The people who attended the event emphasized the importance of the programme, both on national and international level.

Peter Robberecht, the Head of the Cabinet of the State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor, gave a speech: "In the current context of asylum in Belgium, the resettlement of refugees might not be obvious, especially given the lack of places in the reception network for asylum seekers. However, we keep investing in this project and we try to be a driving force in the European resettlement programme. Resettlement offers refugees a safe and legal way to come to Europe. It can provide an alternative to human trafficking networks."

Fedasil manages the Belgian resettlement programme with several partners: the CGRS, the UNHCR, the IOM, the FPS Foreign Affairs, the Immigration Office, Caritas International... These partners play an essential role at key moments in the resettlement procedure.

"The current landscape of resettlement is marked by a growing gap between the resettlement needs and places available. On average, less than 1% of the world’s refugee population benefits from resettlement. It is critical that those refugees most in need of resettlement can benefit from the limited number of opportunities”, pointed out an official of the UNHCR.

Resettlement is a program run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It involves selecting and transferring migrants from a State where they have sought protection to another State which agrees to receive them as refugees.

Since the beginning of the Belgian resettlement programme in 2013, 4,501 refugees have been resettled. The Belgian government sets an annual quota of the number of refugees to resettle, a commitment that is part of the broader European resettlement programme. More info on www.resettlement.be.