Refugees rely on three options to solve their status as refugees: resettlement, integration into their host community, and repatriation. These three options are collectively known as durable solutions.
Resettlement is often talked about, but the reality is less than 1% of refugees are given the opportunity to move to a third country to start their lives over. And those chances are shrinking as refugee populations grow and countries are offering fewer spaces for resettlement.
Local integration allows for a refugee to continue living in their host community, but with new rights and status. This option can also provide a path to citizenship, something some refugees have never had.
Many refugees wish to return home. Repatriation should be thoughtfully carried out with refugees’ informed consent of the conditions at home and resources available to assist in building a life over in their native country. In Burma, the opportunity for repatriation will only be possible if peace comes and discriminatory laws and practices against ethnic minorities are resolved. Across SE Asia, many refugees from Burma wait for that day.
Credit: US Campaign for Burma
