Assessing refugee resettlement programmes in the light of a human security approach

Abstract

Since the end of the First World War the resettlement of refugees from first country of asylum to a third country has been adopted as a solution to the refugee crisis. Resettlement in a third country has been regarded as an effective and comprehensive method and as an expression of burden - and - responsibility sharing. At present, only 10 countries have established formal programmes for permanent resettlement. The acceptance of refugees for permanent resettlement underpins the resettlement policy, but it is the extent to which resettlement programmes enable refugees to adapt to their host countries' societies which determines whether their resettlement is successful. The literature has raised crucial issues related to resettlement, and explored the consequences of resettlement in the host countries, and therefore provided invaluable suggestions for the development of refugee programmes. However, it lacks a holistic approach that incorporates a multidisciplinary perspective. Official reports typically lack a coherent and comprehensive analytical approach. Human security emerges from the debate about security concepts, and is an attempt to respond to the challenges posed by the emergence of the post-Cold War security order, which state security, and other more or less state-centric security have failed to tackle. Human security has emerged as a new security paradigm, as this approach seeks to focus on the individual's security needs as the primary concern. This thesis utilises the human security concept as an analytical approach to assess refugee resettlement programmes in Australia and New Zealand. It argues that the human security concept provides an invaluable and comprehensive approach to the study of refugee resettlement programmes.