The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) published a report on the evolution of the resettlement concept, called "Great Expectations: The Strategic Use of Resettlement". The Strategic Use of Resettlement concept was defined by a Working Group on Resettlement in 2003 and it refers to the planned use of resettlement in a manner that maximizes the benefits, other than those received by the refugee being resettled. Those benefits may accrue to other refugees, the governments or the international protection regime in general.

The ways in which UNHCR communicates about SUR internally and with governments is a central theme of the report prepared by an independent researcher.

Although new solutions have been sought for a decade, including the raise of the number of resettlement places, the attempt to achieve maximum of possible benefits in practice has not raised to the concept's potential. Although UNHCR set priorities for strategic resettlement, in most cases these priorities were not complied with.

According to the report there is some confusion and inconsistency in the way how UNHCR presented the concept of strategic use of resettlement. This can be the effect of the UNHCR approach being insufficiently based on evidence, despite attempts being made to define benchmarks for the practical outcomes of strategic resettlement. The concept was used rather as a PR instrument aiming to bring to the table of discussions resettlement countries and potential resettlement countries. The fact that "resettlement countries are all involved is an achievement by itself" is highlighted in the report, indicating that in 2013 the focus was on multiannual planning to produce a multiplication effect.

Source: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Great%20expectations%20A%20review%20of%20the%20strategic%20use%20of%20resettlement.pdf