number of returned refugees (251,000) has continuously decreased since 2004, with 2009 being the lowest level in two decades. In contrast, the number of returned IDPs (2.2 million) was the highest in more than a decade. Resettlement of refugees continued to increase; in 2009, UNHCR presented more than 128,000 refugees for resettlement consideration by States, the highest in 16 years. Unfortunately, the number of refugees in a protracted situation remained high at over 5.5 million spread across 21 countries. This report analyses trends related to new displacements, whether they are the result of massive movements of people or of individuals who sought international protection independent of larger groups. Finding durable solutions for these people is central to UNHCR’s mandate and is therefore an issue also covered in this report. Information on the demographic composition and location of the population falling under UNHCR’s responsibility, which is crucial for planning and monitoring, is another important feature of this document. For instance, this type of information allows the Office to closely monitor the growing number of unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) seeking international protection. With 18,700 UASC having filed an asylum application in 2009, the number is at its highest since 2006.(4) The European Commission’s proposed Action Plan on Unaccompanied Minors (2010-2014) is a crucial step towards addressing this important protection issue. (5) The number of refugees residing in urban areas continued to grow, representing more than half of the world’s refugees. The challenges faced by refugees living in urban locations received wide attention during the third meeting of the High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges which took place in December 2009. (6) In addition to conflict-generated forced displacement, UNHCR was involved in several humanitarian crises caused by natural disasters. Although displacement resulting from natural disasters is growing in numbers and complexity,(7) it is beyond the scope of this report. Likewise, despite the fact that global migration poses a challenge for asylum and refugee management, this report does not address mixed migration flows mainly due to the lack of reliable and precise statistical data required for a comparative analysis of this phenomenon.(8) However, migrants applying for asylum or refugee status are included in this report. For the most part, the statistics in this report have been reported by UNHCR country offices, based on government sources, reports from non-governmental organizations and UNHCR’s registration activities. The numbers have been rounded up to the closest hundredth or thousandth for the purposes of this report. As some adjustments may need to be made for the publication of the 2009 Statistical Yearbook, to be released later this year, the figures contained herein should be considered provisional and may be subject to change. Unless otherwise specified, the report does not refer to events occurring after 31 December 2009. 4 In 2006, UNHCR began collecting data on unaccompanied and separated children seeking asylum in a systematic way. See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0213:FIN:EN:PDF 6 For more information, visit http://www.unhcr.org/pages/4a12a4a26.html 7 The findings of a study by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the IDMC, indicate that at least 36 million people were displaced by sudden-onset natural disasters in 2008. Of those, over 20 million were displaced by suddenonset climate-related disasters. (See: http://www.internaldisplacement.org/8025708F004CFA06/%28httpPublications%29/451D224B41C04246C12576390031FF63?OpenDocument) 8 As part of UNHCR’s strategy to address the phenomenon of mixed migration flows, UNHCR has developed a “10-Point Plan of Action” which aims at ensuring that protection space continues to be available for those persons who deserve it. See: http://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/4742a30b4.pdf. 5 2009 Global Trends 3