OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

Transcription

1 India Nepa Sri Lanka OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS 236 UNHCR s resettement programme in Nepa remained the argest such programme wordwide. Some 18,100 refugees, originay from Bhutan, eft Nepa for their new homes in eight different resettement countries in In tota, some 58,500 individuas have been resetted since the start of the resettement programme in ate Given the reduction in the size of the camp popuation in Nepa, with the endorsement of the Government, UNHCR consoidated the administration of the three Bedangi camps, and cosed the Godhap and Timai camps in This eft ony three of the origina seven camps. Internay dispaced persons (IDPs) and refugees uprooted during the civi war in Sri Lanka continued to return. Some 144,600 IDPs returned to their viages of origin in UNHCR Goba Report UNHCR aso faciitated the vountary return to Sri Lanka of more than 1,700 refugees. UNHCR s monitoring activities and other protection interventions in Sri Lanka heped safeguard the basic rights of IDPs and returnees. Whie there were improvements compared to the previous year, issues reating to housing, and and property issues in return areas remained a chaenge. The miitary presence in the north continued to have an impact on civi administration and humanitarian coordination. In India, the Government maintained protection space for neary 190,000 refugees and asyum-seekers, of whom approximatey 21,000 urban refugees and asyum-seekers were registered with UNHCR. In Juy, UNHCR began issuing new identity cards with encrypted smart chips to enhance the protection of urban refugees.

2 U N H C R / T. B A H A R in the kitchen of her rented iving space in New Dehi. UNHCR Goba Report

3 Working environment In partnership with a variety of stakehoders, UNHCR pursued the coordination of humanitarian efforts and the protection and assistance needs of persons of concern. Despite not having acceded to the 1951 Refugee Convention or 1967 Protoco, the countries in South Asia have continued to provide protection and humanitarian space and to respect UNHCR s mandate. Nonetheess, the situation of urban refugees and asyum-seekers remained difficut, given their ack of forma status in the absence of nationa refugee protection frameworks. In Sri Lanka, the return of IDPs to their paces of origin in the north continued. By the end of 2011, more than 430,000 IDPs had returned to their districts of origin since Some 138,000 individuas remained in camps, with host communities or in transit, unabe to return due to ongoing demining operations or continued miitary occupation of their and. The genera stabiity in the north aowed eary recovery and deveopment agencies to become invoved in assisting returnees. The Government made significant progress in its efforts to re-estabish infrastructure and services in this region. Nevertheess, civiian structures in the north needed greater support to become fuy staffed and operationa. Whie access to the camps and return areas improved during the year, at times some NGOs continued to experience access issues in trying to carry out their activities. In Nepa, under the new Government formed in August 2011, the drafting of a new constitution, due to be competed in May 2012, and the integration of ex-maoist combatants in the nationa army, remained key poitica priorities. UNHCR continued to enjoy cooperation with the Government and especiay in assisting some 55,000 refugees from Bhutan who remain in the camps. Urban asyum-seekers and refugees, athough considered iega immigrants by the authorities, have in practice been aowed to stay in the country. Tibetan new arrivas continued to transit through Nepa to India. The Government of India continued to grant asyum to a arge number of refugees from neighbouring States, whie respecting the principe of and UNHCR s mandate to protect and assist refugees and asyum-seekers in urban areas. The protection space for urban refugees and asyum-seekers was maintained and expanded; for instance, UNHCR gained access to certain asyum-seeker groups in detention and secured their reease. Rising prices of food and other basic commodities again affected refugees and asyum-seekers as we as oca residents. Achievements and impact UNHCR ensured protection for persons of concern whie seeking durabe soutions for them. Further participatory assessments and focus group discussions were conducted by a offices to identify, address and advocate for the needs of refugees and IDPs. The Office aso worked towards addressing chid protection needs and sexua and gender-based vioence (SGBV) through training, awareness raising, monitoring and targeted interventions. Moreover, creative approaches were adopted to address the iveihood needs of refugees, asyum-seekers and returnees, incuding through the introduction of the Community Technoogy Access (CTA) project in India and Nepa, and sma scae community-based quick impact projects (QIPs) in returnee areas in Sri Lanka. With more stabiity in the country, Sri Lankan refugees continued to return home, mainy from India, but aso from other countries. However, the numbers returning from India were ower than expected, party due to the deay in the aunch, and the subsequent suspension, of the Tuticorin-Coombo ferry service. During 2011, UNHCR faciitated the vountary return of neary 1,700 Sri Lankan refugees and assisted them with standard reintegration and 238 UNHCR Goba Report 2011

4 SOUTH ASIA transport grants. The refugees aso received non-food items (NFIs) in their paces of return in Sri Lanka. UNHCR s humanitarian and protection activities within Sri Lanka focused on assisting IDPs returning to their homes. In 2011 aone, UNHCR registered cose to 9,000 returnee famiies for the sheter grant, benefiting approximatey 31,400 persons, and enabing them to repair or reconstruct damaged sheters, meet other basic needs and invest in iveihood activities during the initia post-return phase. Since the sheter grant programme started in October 2009, more than 86,000 famiies received the sheter cash grant. A tota of 120,000 NFI kits have been distributed to returnees since the return process began in August Sheter assistance was provided to some 700 extremey vunerabe returnee famiies. UNHCR continued to ead inter-agency coordination in the areas of protection and sheter/nfis. Key protection concerns incuded the continued presence of miitary personne in areas of return, the need to maintain humanitarian space, the demining of agricutura and, and essentia services avaiabe in return areas. UNHCR supported and strengthened protection networks of UN agencies, oca and internationa NGOs and reevant government bodies. The NFI/Sheter custer coordinated the provision of resources to minimize assistance gaps and overaps. In Nepa, with the strong support of the Government and of resettement countries, some 18,100 refugees from Bhutan were abe to eave for their new homes in the course of With the substantia reduction in the size of the camp popuation due to these departures, UNHCR worked with the Government and NGO partners to begin the consoidation of the camps. The administrative consoidation of the three Bedangi camps and the cosure of Godhap and Timai were competed in At the end of the year ony three of the origina seven camps remained, and these are due to be reduced to two by the end of Whie maintaining basic services and infrastructure in the camps, in 2011 UNHCR initiated an inter-agency, five-year Community-Based Deveopment Programme (CBDP) aimed at promoting peacefu co-existence between refugee and hosting communities in Jhapa and Morang districts. The CBDP wi aow UNHCR to move from providing humanitarian assistance to supporting the sef-reiance of refugees and sustainabe deveopment in host communities. UNHCR was supported by the Government and the UN Country Team in impementing this programme. In Nepa, UNHCR aso provided protection and assistance to some 300 urban refugees and asyum-seekers, and to approximatey 800 Tibetan new arrivas whose safe transit to India was aso faciitated. Together with nationa and internationa partners, UNHCR supported ega aid and awareness projects to assist individuas in need of citizenship certificates. It aso strongy advocated for citizenship provisions in the new Constitution to be in ine with Nepa s internationa obigations. In India, UNHCR strengthened its refugee status determination (RSD) processes through speedy registration, fast-tracking persons with specific needs, and reducing the waiting time for a asyum-seekers. Poverty continued to be a major chaenge for persons of concern iving in India s urban areas, where 3,600 of them benefited from UNHCR s iveihoods and sef-reiance programmes. The programmes focused on refugees and asyum-seekers with specific needs, incuding oder peope and persons with disabiities. Budget and expenditure in South Asia USD Country PILLAR 1 Refugee programme PILLAR 2 Stateess programme PILLAR 4 IDP projects Tota India Budget 13,222, , ,326,507 Expenditure 7,474, , ,576,169 Nepa Budget 15,445,714 1,397, ,843,489 Expenditure 11,701, , ,466,772 Sri Lanka Budget 7,627, ,498,959 25,126,799 Expenditure 3,627, ,467,396 13,095,148 Tota budget 36,295,884 1,501,952 17,498,959 55,296,795 Tota expenditure 22,802, ,767 9,467,396 33,138,089 UNHCR Goba Report

5 SOUTH ASIA Addressing SGBV and protecting chidren, especiay those who were unaccompanied or separated from their famiies, remained a priority. UNHCR continued to conduct best interest assessment procedures to ensure that chidren were protected in a safe environment and received counseing, iving aowances and educationa support, such as the Learn and Train project, which benefited some 70 unaccompanied or separated chidren in the country. Constraints In Sri Lanka, humanitarian access to return areas improved after Juy 2011, when Government cearances were no onger needed to access a areas in the north. However, access for some NGOs remained difficut. In certain cases, miitary invovement in daiy administrative work in the north, incuding in humanitarian or deveopment projects, impeded the abiity of UNHCR and its partners to impement projects. Some areas continued to be designated as high security zones, proonging dispacement in the north. A ack of comprehensive poicies on and issues reduced the sustainabiity of returns. In Nepa, UNHCR faced difficuties in maintaining quaity services in the camps due to the departure for resettement of skied and experienced refugee workers. Athough the Government supported most projects, the urban refugee programme was affected by the absence of domestic refugee egisation. As such, urban asyum-seekers and refugees were considered as iega immigrants. In India, UNHCR was abe to continue interviewing Sri Lankan refugees in the district centres cose to the camps in Tami Nadu, without direct access to the camps. Ferry services between Tuticorin and Coombo, which started in October 2011 and aowed refugees to return with more beongings, were suspended in ate November 2011, adversey affecting returns. Whie the overa environment remained positive, the ack of a nationa refugee protection framework was an obstace to the deivery of refugee protection in India. Operations The operations in and are covered in separate chapters. In, some 17,000 refugees and 4,000 asyum-seekers were registered with UNHCR as of December 2011, comprising mainy Afghan, Myanmar and Somai nationas. The Government continued to provide asyum and direct support to some 200,000 refugees from neighbouring countries. Pending the adoption of a nationa refugee protection framework, UNHCR conducted status determination procedures for asyum-seekers in urban areas, and ensured individua registration of a persons of concern. With respect to durabe soutions, UNHCR continued to use resettement to address compeing protection needs that coud not be met in India, and some 500 peope departed for resettement in UNHCR assisted more than 1,700 Sri Lankan refugees to repatriate vountariy. In addition, it provided ega aid to support the naturaization of eigibe Afghan, Hindu and Sikh refugees. Eight individuas were naturaized during the year. UNHCR s protection outreach initiative in India was expanded with the estabishment of a new refugee protection centre in an area where many Afghan and Somai refugees ived. There are now 11 such refugee centres in Dehi that aim to bring ega, socia and community services coser to peope of concern, in particuar women. These centres have been instrumenta in identifying and addressing their needs, incuding in the area of sexua and gender-based vioence (SGBV). UNHCR aso sought to find innovative ways to meet the growing iveihood needs of peope of concern, mainy through a shift towards sef-reiance activities, imiting direct financia assistance to refugees with specific needs (1,500 persons). In addition, sanitary materias were provided to a refugee women and girs assessed to be in need of such suppies. Whie the Government continued to aow a refugees and asyum-seekers to have access to pubic heath and education services and the nationa ega system, a ack of knowedge of these services and the oca anguage were practica barriers to such access. UNHCR enhanced its community-based sensitization and support activities to hep overcome these barriers. Financia information UNHCR s overa requirements for South Asia were reduced in 2011, argey as a resut of the initia downscaing of IDP-reated activities in Sri Lanka. The requirements for Nepa increased sighty to ensure that basic services were provided to refugees and asyum-seekers, and that camp consoidation activities benefiting both refugees and host communities were undertaken. The increased requirements in India were for the protection of the growing urban refugee popuation in the country, and for increased activities to combat SGBV. 240 UNHCR Goba Report 2011

6 SOUTH ASIA Vountary contributions to South Asia USD Earmarking / Donor SOUTH ASIA SUBREGION PILLAR 1 Refugee programme PILLAR 4 IDP projects A piars Tota United States of America 3,900,000 3,900,000 INDIA South Asia subtota 0 0 3,900,000 3,900,000 Austraia 75,000 75,000 Espana con ACNUR 22,753 22,753 Lebara Foundation 141, ,443 NEPAL India subtota 239, ,196 Canada 308, ,960 CERF 999, ,991 European Union 681, ,690 Internationa Organization for Migration 20,055 20,055 Japan 861, ,751 Japan Association for UNHCR 39,988 39,988 OPEC Fund for Internationa Deveopment 60,000 60,000 Private donors in China 149, ,605 Fast Retaiing Co., Ltd. (UNIQLO) 113, ,800 United Kingdom 158, ,815 United States of America 200, ,000 SRI LANKA Nepa subtota 2,732, ,751 3,594,654 Canada 815, ,494 CERF 638,148 1,224,121 1,862,269 Charities Aid Foundation European Union 133, ,333 France 343, ,406 Itay 142, ,653 Japan 1,231,072 1,231,072 Switzerand 730, ,228 UN Popuation Fund 23,314 23,314 United States of America 4,900,000 4,900,000 Sri Lanka subtota 638,148 2,597,055 6,946,671 10,181,874 Tota 3,610,248 2,597,055 11,708,422 17,915,724 UNHCR Goba Report