ICMC maintained a roster of over 500 experts ready to deploy on short notice to support UN agencies and governments in their work to protect vulnerable people around the world.
Our experts specialize in resettlement, response to and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, child protection, refugee status determination, complementary pathways, and anti-fraud.
Providing Protection Expertise Worldwide
The ICMC Deployment Scheme continued its longstanding partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in 2021 by sending 103 legal, social, and protection experts as auxiliary staff to UNHCR duty stations in 35 countries on five continents. Our experts boosted UNHCR’s capacity to refer particularly vulnerable refugees for resettlement to third countries, where they could start a new life in safety and dignity.
In 2021, we maintained a roster of 518 persons, offering expertise in resettlement, response to and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, child protection, refugee status determination, complementary pathways, and anti-fraud. An increase in UNHCR funding during the year enabled us to expand refugee protection by extending the contracts of 30 of our experts and deploying 44 more personnel than initially planned. A partnership with the Government of Canada’s agency for immigrants and refugees (IRCC) funded the deployment of 14 of our experts.
Amidst the ongoing impact of the pandemic — quarantine periods, travel restrictions, curfews — ICMC experts worked with flexibility to provide as uninterrupted and timely services as possible despite the challenging circumstances for refugees needing protection. They submitted the cases of 24,925 refugees for consideration for resettlement. ICMC personnel also assessed the needs of refugee children and made recommendations for a course of action in line with each child’s best interest.
To respond to the limited number of places in government resettlement programs worldwide, ICMC experts also carried out tasks aimed at expanding opportunities for refugees to find protection in a third country through complementary pathways such as private sponsorships, university study, or family reunification.
ICMC deployee Maureen Muthoni Gachiri.
Resettlement bring[s] an end to the refugee cycle. [It] tries honestly to give dignity back to the human being who had to flee their country.
ICMC experts deployed across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East
518
-strong roster of ICMC experts ready for rapid deployment across the world
24925
refugee cases submitted by ICMC experts for resettlement to third countries
Protecting Refugees and Migrants in Greece
ICMC continues its close cooperation with UNHCR in Greece through a deployment partnership that has provided operational support to the UN Refugee Agency and national authorities since 2010.
In 2021, we deployed 73 ICMC experts to UNHCR to support Ministries of the Greek government by providing international protection to nearly 9,165 newly arrived refugees and migrants from Afghanistan, Somalia, Palestine, and other locations.
ICMC experts assisted a range of other activities — reception of new arrivals; protection, particularly of children on the move; assessment of vulnerable people’s refugee status; cash support and accommodation; response to and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence; issues related to statelessness; and refugee integration.
In 2021, nearly 30% of the new arrivals to Greece were children. In cooperation with the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum, ICMC experts prioritized assistance to children who were on the move alone without parents or primary caregivers. Our staff implemented UNHCR procedures to determine courses of action for each child that would best support their well-being.
Via a tracing and protection initiative launched in April by UNHCR and Greek authorities, ICMC helped to identify unaccompanied children on the move living in precarious circumstances and to ensure they had safe accommodation and support services. This assistance played an important role in providing an alternative to police custody as a protective measure.
We deployed experts to work with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum to assess the refugee status of people seeking international protection, receive newly arrived refugees, and provide them with accommodation. Our deployed staff lowered the risk of sexual and gender-based violence by providing information and protection to vulnerable groups. They also advocated for action to reduce racially motivated violence, improve detention conditions for refugees and migrants, and strengthen rights-based law and policy.
Some of our experts supported the Ministry of the Interior with examples of best practices to protect stateless people, while others worked with municipalities all over Greece to further meaningful integration of refugees and migrants.
In October, ICMC deployed a child protection expert to the Greek non-governmental organization METAdrasi in Athens. This new partnership strengthens both protection for and integration of children on the move alone. Our expert gives guidance to METAdrasi’s guardianship network, accompaniment by trained support workers, facilitation of foster care and child-centered living arrangements including transit accommodation, independent living apartments for adolescents and young adults, and a day center and night shelter.
ICMC child protection expert Solomon Haile and a UNICEF colleague pose with a reunited family during a counseling session in Doha, Qatar.
Using a child-friendly approach, we helped to reduce the uncertainty and anxiety faced by unaccompanied children once they arrived in the U.S.
Alfonso Masso, child protection expert deployed to the U.S. military base in Ramstein, Germany, following the American evacuation of Afghanistan.
#ICMCGreece
By establishing the NGO “ICMC Greece,” we prepared to expand our in-country programming to complement our deployment of experts to UNHCR.
73
ICMC protection experts deployed in Greece to support the Government and UNHCR
9163
newly arrived refugees and migrants in Greece received protection services for which ICMC personnel provided crucial expertise
