CHAPTER 3 CANADA. HELPING SYRIAN FAMILIES SETTLE. Marion is one of a group of sponsors who organize social outings and help Syrian families with everyday tasks, creating powerful bonds with the community. Here she plays with the children of the Nouman family on a beach in Toronto. © U N H C R /A N N I E S A K K A B VO LU NTA RY R E PATR I ATI O N Voluntary repatriation remains the main durable solution. To be successful and ensure it is conducted in safety and dignity, both countries of origin and asylum need to be fully committed to a process in which decisions are made voluntarily, without coercion, and are based on objective information. Sufficient support and assistance need to be provided for returning refugees to be reintegrated into their own communities and to enhance the prospects of the reintegration being sustainable. The number of refugees returning to their countries of origin substantially increased during 2016, more UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 than doubling to 552,200 from 201,400 in 2015, the highest figure since 2008 (Figure 10). 45 Most of the returning refugees (500,300) received UNHCR assistance, some 90 per cent of this population. Returnees have represented less than 5 per cent of the overall refugee population since 2013, well below the number of newly arrived each year, mainly due to an absence of conditions conducive to returns in countries of origin. 44 See: http://www.unhcr.org/new-york-declaration-for-refugees-andmigrants.html. 45 Based on consolidated reports from countries of asylum (departure) and countries of origin (return). 25