Christopher Coen
Melissa Sogard
nancylee1
New GAO report critical of federal oversight agencies
Posted by Christopher Coen on July 28, 2012
The General Accounting Office has just released a new report which examines the national refugee resettlement program. The report critical of the US State Department and the Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement for the failure of resettlement contractors to consult with local communities, and for the lack of any formal mechanisms to address strengths and weaknesses.
- Voluntary Agencies Consider Various Factors in Placing Refugees, but Few Consult with Local Service Providers
…Most local voluntary agencies we visited have not taken steps to ensure that other relevant service providers are afforded the opportunity to provide input on the number and types of refugees that can be served. As a result, many local service providers experienced challenges in properly serving refugees… p.13
- Neither ORR nor PRM has formal mechanisms for collecting and sharing information gleaned during monitoring to improve services:
…Neither ORR nor PRM has formal mechanisms for collecting and sharing information gleaned during monitoring to improve services, such as solutions to common problems or promising practices. ORR and PRM officials identified some informal mechanisms for sharing such information with service providers, but relied mostly on service providers to network among themselves or share information during quarterly conference calls and annual consultations. ORR also relies on external technical assistance providers to disseminate best practices when training grantees and expects state refugee coordinators to share findings of monitoring reports with their local partners. However, monitoring reports are not publicly available, and, unless the state coordinators share this information, service providers may not be able to identify promising practices, track monitoring results, identify trends, and address common issues. As a result, service providers do not always get the information they need to improve services, whether by preventing a problem or implementing a best practice… p28 Read more here
Junisa Sesay said
I am a refugee from sierra leone since 1996 in MALI,now am seriously hill by under going two oporations,the oporations are swoling day by day and UNHCR-DAKAR want to resettle me to the USA on humanitarian ground,s for medical treatment,but the assistance protection officer in BAMAKO MOMODOU SIDIBE said unless i give him some money before he will forward my case my medical report to DAKAR since 2006 i alredy deed my interview with UNHCR protection officer from DAKAR regional HQ and my life also was threaten in MALI by the UNHCR local workers this is why i fled from MALI i came to DAKAR for safty and here too am not geting any assistance from UNHCR.This two countries are working as sisters not to the international law of refugees.I always urenate blood and now i have no future in my life.
Christopher Coen said
What help do you need?
cory82 said
Since consultation with local communities is already required by the State Department refugee contracts with resettlement agencies, as well as ORR regulation, and its not being done, what does that say about probable conformance to all the other minimum requirements? It seems like a lack of rule enforcement.