Washington, DC - The United States is pleased to announce a contribution of $11 million to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support the Emerging Resettlement Countries Joint Support Mechanism (ERCM), a platform established to help countries create robust and sustainable refugee resettlement programs.

On September 20, 2016, leaders from Jordan, Mexico, Germany, Ethiopia, Sweden, and Canada, as well as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, will join President Obama in hosting the Leaders’ Summit on Refugees on the margins of this year’s UN General Assembly high-level week. The Summit will bring together governments from around the world that have made new and significant pledges in 2016 to address the most urgent needs of refugees and facilitate long-term durable solutions. Among the goals of the Summit is to double the global number of refugees resettled or admitted legally to third countries. A significant number of countries have stepped forward to launch or expand refugee resettlement efforts. It is vital to the success of these efforts that their programs address the legal, administrative, and social challenges that refugees can face.

The U.S. contribution to the ERCM, managed by UNHCR and IOM, will provide both resources and expertise to assist countries in establishing the legal, institutional, and community framework necessary to create robust and sustainable resettlement programs. The ERCM will focus on providing support to newly established resettlement programs and may potentially support other pathways such as family reunification programs, study opportunities, and issuance of humanitarian visas. The United States strongly urges other donors to join in supporting this important mechanism. With full funding, the ERCM could help as many as 10 countries resettle nearly 30,000 refugees over the next three years.