UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), ‘Resettlement Assessment Tool: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Refugees’, May 2019

Abstract

The Resettlement Assessment Tool: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Refugees has been developed to enhance UNHCR’s effectiveness and harmonize procedures for assessing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) refugees for resettlement. Due to the discrimination and abuse they may experience, many LGBTI individuals flee their home countries and seek protection abroad. LGBTI individuals may be under a continuous threat of human rights abuses due to discriminatory laws and hostile societal attitudes in the countries of asylum. Resettlement may be the only viable durable solution for LGBTI refugees facing specific protection risks due to their sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. In some cases, emergency processing or evacuation may be required as lengthy processing can exacerbate the security risks. It is important for UNHCR staff to develop a thorough understanding of the multiple forms of harm and discrimination experienced by refugees of diverse sex, sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and to ensure that they have fair access to the resettlement process and that their resettlement needs are assessed on a non-discriminatory basis. Part One, the User Guide accompanying this tool, provides information related to each part of the process of resettling LGBTI refugees, from the identification of individuals in need of resettlement through interviewing and processing for resettlement to reception and integration considerations in the country of resettlement. Part Two, the Resettlement Assessment Tool, provides a step-by-step guide for conducting an assessment of LGBTI refugees to determine whether resettlement is the most appropriate durable solution and to identify the resettlement needs of individual LGBTI refugees. Part Three, Terminology, provides a list of appropriate terminology in the context of sexual orientation and gender identity.