‘Targeting development assistance for refugee solutions’ (TDA) is one of three generic strands of UNHCR’s Convention Plus initiative, the other two being ‘strategic resettlement’ and ‘irregular secondary movements’ (ISM). Its intention, like that of Convention Plus as a whole, is to improve access to durable solutions through improved north-south responsibility-sharing. In particular, it aims to facilitate local integration and repatriation by incorporating refugees in national development plans. It is hoped that by bridging the so-called transition ‘gap’ between humanitarianism and development, there will be a greater likelihood of resolving protracted refugee situations, which are often perceived to be a source of insecurity by host states and a source of onward movements by third country asylum states.1 The debate builds upon the legacy of the refugee aid and development (RAD) debate that identified the multifaceted links and synergies between development and refugee issues.2 There are many factors in the debate surrounding Convention Plus that can be considered to be new. At the political level, an increasingly “proactive” approach to refugee issues and migration management is being pioneered by northern states, encouraging more comprehensive engagement in regions of origin as an alternative to asylum.3 At the UNHCR level, there is acknowledgement that the process of running generic agreements alongside attempts to develop situation specific Comprehensive Plans of Action (CPAs) may be new. However, many elements of Convention Plus draw upon past precedent. In many ways Convention Plus’ emphasis on durable solutions is an attempt to focus on the core elements of resettlement, local integration and return that have been present throughout UNHCR’s mandate. The initiative represents not so much radical innovation as an attempt to systematically apply the lessons of past practice to contemporary circumstances.4