OECD-UNHCR: Safe Pathways for Refugees III

The Global Compact on Refugees has laid out the objective to expand access to third-country solutions. Complementary pathways are meant to complement refugee resettlement by offering safe and legal admission avenues to persons in need of international protection who are seeking opportunities in a third country. Third country solutions, including resettlement, family reunification and complementary pathways offer a responsibility-sharing mechanism and contribute to a progressive approach to solutions. 

UNHCR is proud to collaborate with OECD on the issuance of the third edition of Safe Pathways for Refugees report. The publication fills the information gap and builds the foundation of evidence on complementary pathways and family reunification. The project began in 2018 and examines statistical information from 2010 until 2021. The report compiles data from 37 OECD countries and Brazil. It specifically focuses on the pathways of family reunification, education, and labour mobility of seven nationalities (Afghans, Eritreans, Iranians, Iraqis, Syrians, Somalis, and Venezuelans).  This year’s edition also for the first time includes data on sponsorship pathways, while ongoing work aims to expand the scope of the Report to include   humanitarian admissions. For the first time, the Safe Pathways for Refugees features the stories of refugees with lived experience of complementary pathways and family reunification. 

This publication is a useful tool to inform stakeholders about progress towards achieving the Roadmap 2030 vision of admitting 2.1 million refugees by 2030, also ahead of the upcoming Global Refugee Forum in December. 

The dashboard populated with the data collected for the “Safe Pathways for Refugees III” report is a useful visual aid developed to better understand the report. It presents an overview of first-time permits issued in OECD countries and Brazil for family, work and education purposes to nationals of Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela from 2010 to 2021. The dashboard also includes data on sponsorship pathways from Canada and Australia for the seven nationalities over the same period.