Key Findings and Conclusions: * Refugees deem the achievement of a deep peace, including guarantees for human security, and freedom from exploitation by armed actors as the primary requisite to repatriation. * The ability for refugees to pursue durable solutions to displacement them selves, voluntarily and in safety and dignity, is severely restricted by lack of knowledge regarding their circumstances - and refugee status - and the reasons their future situation may not be sustainable if the initial reasons for their seeking refuge an d international protection cease to exist. * Refugee leaders and CBOs are well placed to inform refugees of their evolving situation and options in a locally appropriate manner. * Refugee leaders and CBOs have an influential role in the refugee society, and are depended on by many of the refugees. This represents a core capacity for community - based protection that international actors should support. * Decision making will be a highly protracted process for all refugees as migration choices have been in these communities for decades if not centuries. * An internationally verified peace settlement and/or a tripartite agreement on repatriation would heavily influence the independent decisions of many refugees. * Communities are already communicating with or visiting their communities of origin and would benefit from support for such activities, as they get closer to considering repatriation. * Respected community - level administration structures from the refugee camps could be enhanced in the context of repatriation reintegration for protection aims, including negotiations with armed actors and government...In 2011 and 2012 the Government of the Union of Myanmar (GoUM) signed ceasefires with the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the Karen National Union (KNU). While the security environment remains extremely fragile, this has opened opportunities for a minority of the more then 100,000 Karen refugees in Thailand to make tentative efforts to return home. Perhaps more influentially, refugees now face new pressures and opportunities to due to policies and actions of influential political actors, such as international aid donors, the KNU, the GoUM, and the Royal Thai Government (RTG). The ceasefires remain fragile and there are many hurdles to overcome before a secure, lasting settlement can be achieved. The region is heavily militarised, severely lacks rule of law or other national protection mechanisms. With over 100 Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) army battalions positioned in and close to civilian settlements throughout the region, and multiple other armed actors competing for influence and resources, communities remain subject to extensive arbitrary taxes, forced labour and other extractive demands. Further, there remain significant restrictions on humanitarian access for UN agencies and other actors ? to many parts of Myanmar, including some of the refugees? places of origin. UNHCR is not promoting or encouraging repatriation at this time, and has maintained its assessment since 2012 that much ?yet needs to be done in Myanmar -­‐ particularly in the places of origin -­‐ before the promotion and facilitation of voluntary repatriation could commence. However, these preliminary agreements have brought significant reductions to incidences of armed conflict, and a complete halt to the previously widespread destruction of civilian settlements by the Tatmadaw. Despite many remaining hurdles, if broader political and economic reforms under the 2011-­‐inaugurated government continue, there is potential for the region to achieve lasting peace. This presents limited potential for a durable solution for the Karen refugees residing in temporary settlements in Thailand to emerge. 3 Slowly but surely, an increasing portion of refugees that still have land or communities to return to are making tentative moves towards repatriation. However, while UNHCR has monitored the return of refugees -­‐ and the agency has been told by the refugee camp committees that up to 10,000 may have returned during the past three years -­‐ it is unlikely that many constitute entire families making permanent moves home, as will be discussed in later sections..."