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AI for Good Innovate for Impact

Use Case 8: Uncovering Delays: Leveraging Data Science and AI

to Streamline Refugee Status Determination Procedures

Organization: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Country: Switzerland

Contact Person(s):

Adriana Rojas, rojasa@ unhcr �org
Moises Maldonado maldonam@ unhcr �org
Peter Grady, grady@ unhcr �org

1 Use Case Summary Table

Item Details
Category Productivity

Problem • UNHCR conducts refugee status determination (RSD) procedures under
Addressed its mandate in approximately 50 countries, when there is an absence of fair
and efficient asylum procedures.
• Unprecedented Levels of forced displacement: In the first six months of
2024 UNHCR received close to 240,000 new individual asylum applications,
raising the number of pending asylum applications to 568,000.
• Lengthy Processing Times: the RSD process, including interviewing, assess-
ment and reviewing stages, can vary in length from one day to several
months.
• Wide Variations: Time taken for final decision on case resolution and noti-
fication varies widely due to countries operational context, processing
strategies, methods, profiles, caseloads, and resource availability.
• Need for Analysis: Stark variations in processing times highlight the need
for detailed data analysis to identify inefficiencies and streamline asylum
procedures, adapting it to the particular countries and needs.

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