Executive summary
In December 2009, the Executive Committee (ExCom) of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) adopted an ExCom Conclusion on protracted refugee situations (PRS) (UNHCR 2009a). This is a potentially significant development and reflects a growing international interest in one of the most complex and difficult humanitarian problems facing the international community today.
Although Executive Committee Conclusions are not legally binding, they constitute broad expressions of consensus regarding the principles of international protection. Thus, ExCom Conclusions can help address protection gaps, provide operational guidance and set standards of behaviour for states, UNHCR and NGOs, while serving as lobbying and advocacy instruments. In this way, the adoption of an ExCom Conclusion on protracted refugee situations could be a valuable tool in promoting international engagement in an issue of global importance.
Building on a decade of discussion between actors within the refugee policy, research and advocacy communities, it is important to understand how the 2009 ExCom Conclusion can be used to get greater engagement from the broader range of actors required to respond to PRS effectively. To this end, the purpose of this policy brief is to examine in detail the history and process of identifying PRS as a significant international policy problem, the steps leading to the 2009 ExCom Conclusion and a consideration of the text of the Conclusion.