UNHCR-RSD Reform

Fairness

Transparency

Accountability

This site is not associated with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and does not reflect the views of UNHCR.

Asylum Access calls on UNHCR to stop withholding evidence from asylum-seekers, proposes changes in 2003 Procedural Standards (20 June 2008)

 

Israeli court challenges UNHCR’s evidence withholding policy, orders government to disclose case assessment      (13 June 2008)

 

At regional training workshops, UNHCR promotes legal aid in its own RSD procedures (13 June 2008)

 

RSDWatch report

No Margin for  Error

Monitoring the fairness of refugee status determination procedures at selected UNHCR field offices in 2007

Several UNHCR field offices improved the fairness of their procedures for deciding refugee cases in 2007, but progress toward RSD reform appeared inconsistent. UNHCR’s own minimum standards of fairness were still not fully implemented worldwide nearly four years after UNHCR headquarters first issued them. UNHCR policy continued to prohibit providing refugee applicants copies of their own interview transcripts and other evidence considered in their cases.

 

UNHCR-Beirut tests sharing evidence with legal representatives in RSD applications (1 August 2007)

 

UNHCR promises “ambitious and progressive” RSD reforms, but favors “graded” implementation (3 February 2007)

 

Eleven NGOs call on Guterres to change RSD policy, warn that errors go undetected

(6 September 2006)

 

Responding to Hong Kong critics, UNHCR-Beijing implies that 2005 Procedural Standards are not binding

(6 September 2006)

 

European Court of Human Rights casts doubt on UNHCR RSD, blocks deportation  (16 August 2006)

 

NGOs welcome new standards, but say more reform is needed  (9 October 2005)

Þ Steps forward, but gaps remain: UNHCR embraces the right to counsel, and improves standards on giving reasons for rejection (19 September 2005)

Þ Accelerating protection: UN refugee agency aims for faster protection of the most vulnerable refugees (19 September 2005)

Þ Still secret: UNHCR continues to refuse to let asylum-seekers see the evidence in their own cases (19 September 2005)

Þ Appeal to whom?: UNHCR still has no independent appeal body for rejected asylum-seekers (19 September 2005)

Þ ANALYSIS: On the tough issues, UNHCR pleads incapacity (19 September 2005)

Eight NGOs call on UNHCR to not retreat from RSD fairness standards                      (10 August 2005)

Guterres emphasizes importance of fair RSD, and promises to focus on protection (10 August 2005)

RSDWatch EXCLUSIVE: Internal UNHCR memo announces that new RSD standards will be published 1 September (11 July 2005)

New report: UNHCR RSD widespread, but reform road bumpy (20 June 2005)

With his staff, new High Commissioner emphasizes transparency (external link) (2 June 2005)

UNHCR RSD reform developments 2002-2004 (February 2005)

 

  

RSDWatch.org

An independent source of information about the way the UN refugee agency decides refugee cases.

 

A project of Asylum Access