Contemporary case studies

About two-thirds of all refugees today - or roughly 7 million people - find themselves in Protracted Refugee Situations, without much hope for durable solutions in the near future. Their average stay in exile approaches 20 years, with some groups having been displaced for generations. The 25 countries most affected by an extended presence of refugees on their territory are all in the developing world.

To provide insights into the main PRS, a number of current case studies are presented in this section. Cases were selected based on a list of Protracted Refugee Situations compiled by UNHCR in 2008. The selection thus reflects the UNHCR definition of PRS up to 2009, which counted only those situations which affect more than 25,000 people.

While UNHCR statistics do not include Palestinian refugees who fall under the mandate of UNRWA, it was chosen to introduce their case here for its particular relevance and the longevity of their displacement. In addition, the cases of the Rohingya in Bangladesh and Colombians in neighbouring countries are introduced as both have been ongoing for 20 years or more, and are of particular significance.

As the latest UNHCR list of PRS was compiled in 2008, the cases included on it have evolved in the meantime, and durable solutions have become in reach in some situations. As there are valuable lessons to be learned from these cases, they are nevertheless presented in this section. Excluded from this selection of case studies and the statistics used above are the more than 27 million internally displaced people worldwide, most of whom are also trapped in protracted displacement.