protection, more efficient family reunification as well as a reduction in the duplication of costly systems; 28. Calls upon all OSCE participating States to allocate the necessary financial and human resources so that asylum claims are processed in a timely fashion while respecting key procedural safeguards, including the assessment of the merits of each case individually, as well as ensuring the right to appeal; 29. Strongly recommends harmonizing procedures across the OSCE region with respect to UASCs, including through: a. b. c. d. e. f. ensuring that a qualified guardian/legal representative is appointed without delay; agreeing upon common guidelines and procedures for assessing the ‘best interests of the child’, including screening for instances of human trafficking; setting up shared procedures for investigating family claims in a proactive manner and with the support of an independent organisation such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) or the UNHCR rather than placing the burden of proof and application on the child; implementing functioning family reunification programmes through the allocation of greater human resources; establishing a fast-track family reunification procedure for UASCs, separately from the asylum procedure, which would prioritize the tracing of family members with the aim of reuniting minors with their parents, in as far as that is in their best interest; agreeing that, as a principle, the detention of UASCs should be avoided; 30. Encourages all OSCE participating States to share responsibility for unaccompanied child refugees that do not qualify under the Dublin III Regulation, for example through mechanisms such as the ‘Dubs scheme’, in order to provide immediate assistance to vulnerable children at immediate risk of trafficking or at high risk of sexual exploitation; 31. Encourages all concerned OSCE participating States to step up the return of persons who have been found not to be in need of international protection with full respect for the principle of non-refoulement through: a. the deployment of greater numbers of asylum experts and border officials as well as the allocation of greater administrative resources; b. the conclusion of the necessary readmission agreements and their harmonisation throughout the region in order to ensure a cohesive returns policy, including a list of commonly agreed upon ‘safe countries’; c. increased support for IOM’s programme of Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR); 32. Suggests that the March 2016 EU-Turkey Statement, improved on the basis of the recent experiences on the ground, could be replicated with other countries which are sources of illegal departures provided that they are recognized as safe and that the principle of nonrefoulement as well as the right to make an asylum claim and to appeal are respected; 33. Strongly urges all OSCE participating States to further promote safe and legal channels for migration of persons in need of international protection, especially vulnerable migrants and refugees such as women, children, persons with health conditions and the 22