Overview - Africa Executive Committee of the High Commissioner s Programme 19 February 2014 English Original: English and French Standing Committee 59 th meeting Overview of UNHCR s operations in Africa A. Situational context While continuing to promote durable solutions for refugees in Africa, UNHCR also needed to maintain the capacity to respond to multiple emergency situations on the continent. Advocating for the preservation of asylum space remained a core priority. The Central Africa and the Great Lakes sub-regions experienced several simultaneous crises. As violence continued in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) (2.6 million) and refugees in neighbouring countries (over 450,000) remained constant, with hardly any returns. In the Central African Republic, renewed fighting between ex-seleka rebel fighters and self-defence groups spiralled into generalized inter-communal and inter-religious violence in December 2013. This caused the internal displacement of some 838,000 people, including over 413,000 in the capital city. The United Nations declared the situation a level-3 emergency, requiring an immediate strengthening of the humanitarian response. The number of refugees in neighbouring countries has reached almost 269,000. UNHCR increased its capacity by deploying additional staff, airlifting critical relief items and opening new premises. UNHCR bolstered its response capacity in South Sudan, where the eruption of conflict following a reported coup attempt in December 2013 resulted in the internal displacement of some 724,000 people and an influx of over 144,000 refugees, mostly women and children, into Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. Meanwhile the number of people displaced internally from the conflicts in South Kordofan and Blue Nile States totalled 3.6 million, while an additional 247,000 persons took refuge in Ethiopia and South Sudan. In Somalia, relative stability in some parts of the country has triggered the spontaneous return of some IDPs and refugees. A tripartite agreement for the voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees from Kenya was signed by the Governments of Kenya and Somalia and UNHCR in November 2013. In light of the volatile security situation in other parts of Somalia, the majority of the refugees continue to require international protection. Thus, UNHCR continued to support the neighbouring host countries in providing protection and assistance to the refugees, while also enhancing humanitarian support activities inside Somalia. In West Africa, the security situation in the three northern States of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe in Nigeria remained precarious, leading to the prolongation of the state of emergency and the displacement of thousands of people internally and across borders into neighbouring countries. In Mali, the political situation continues to stabilize following Presidential elections in July and legislative elections in December 2013. Although security incidents continued in the north of the country, particularly in Gao and Kidal, thousands of IDPs and refugees have returned spontaneously. To better cover needs, UNHCR expanded its presence with the opening of a field office in Gao. An estimated
217,800 people remain internally displaced, and some 167,000 Malian refugees are currently in Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger. In Southern Africa, continuing mixed migratory movements were once again characterized by increasing hostility towards refugees and pressure on the asylum and protection space. In response, UNHCR bolstered efforts to strengthen national asylum systems and improve refugee status determination procedures as a matter of priority. B. Achieving the global strategic priorities (i) Redoubling efforts in the search for durable solutions Comprehensive solutions UNHCR continued to explore ways to advance durable solutions for refugees in protracted situations, including for Somali refugees who make up one of the most protracted refugee situations in the world today. A High-Level Panel on Somali Refugees took place in November 2013, as part of the Global Initiative on Somali Refugees (GISR) launched by the High Commissioner. In 2014, the GISR will engage key stakeholders in a dialogue aimed at finding new approaches to address this protracted refugee situation and galvanize support for durable solutions. In 2013, UNHCR facilitated the return of more than 19,000 refugees to Côte d Ivoire. A total of 225,000 of an estimated 300,000 people who had fled the country to escape the 2010-2011 post-electoral violence have now returned. In 2014, UNHCR and its partners plan to repatriate an additional 20,000 refugees from neighbouring countries. Progress has been made in the implementation of comprehensive solutions for Rwandan refugees. In 2013, over 6,000 Rwandans voluntarily returned home. Following a ministerial meeting in Pretoria in April 2013 involving all of the main asylum countries and Rwanda, agreement was reached on the application of a differential approach to the cessation of refugee status. There also have been discussions on the issuance of national passports and residency permits for refugees who wish to integrate locally. Further progress has been achieved in the implementation of the comprehensive solutions strategy for former Angolan refugees, which will continue throughout 2014. In 2013, over 1,600 former Angolan refugees repatriated with UNHCR s assistance, mostly from Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia. The local integration of Angolans in countries of asylum advanced as well, with the issuance of residence permits and personal documentation. Voluntary repatriation In Mali, UNHCR is developing a return strategy, considering requests from refugees for assistance with return in light of the security situation on the ground. Although the situation in northern Mali is not yet conducive for a large-scale voluntary repatriation operation, UNHCR has decided to assist some refugees in Niger and Mauritania who wish to return home. In 2013, more than 57,000 Congolese refugees returned from the Republic of the Congo to Équateur province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, bringing total returns to over 103,600 since the beginning of the repatriation operation in May 2012. While the voluntary repatriation of Burundian refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda will proceed as planned, Burundians are also returning from Benin, Kenya and Malawi. The Burundian Government, UNHCR and other partners are facilitating the reception of the returnees and their in-country transportation home. 2
Local integration In Zambia, the strategic framework for the local integration of former refugees (including Angolans and possibly Rwandans) was finalized in February 2014. The framework foresees alternative legal status and integration opportunities for former refugees in and around the hosting areas. The local integration programme will be implemented between 2014 and 2016, initially benefitting 10,000 former refugees, with an increase possible. The Angolan authorities have started the screening process for the issuance of national passports in the two settlements during the course of 2014. In September 2013, the Tanzanian Government completed the screening process for the naturalization of some 1,300 Somali Bantu refugees currently living in the Chogo settlement. The certificates are being processed by the authorities. In Benin, UNHCR and the Government are working to find durable solutions for the Togolese refugees who have been in the country since 2005. In June 2013, the Government began issuing residence permits valid for a 10-year period. Resettlement Resettlement remained an essential component of the comprehensive solutions frameworks in Africa, serving as an important protection tool and demonstrating continued solidarity and responsibility-sharing by the international community. In 2013, the Africa region registered a record-high of 28,250 resettlement submissions (an increase of 68 per cent compared to the previous year). The main nationality of the refugees being resettled out of Africa in 2013 was Congolese from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (accounting for 42 per cent of the total submissions), followed by Somalis (24 per cent) and Eritreans (11 per cent). (ii) Promoting a favourable protection environment Asylum In Angola, the revision of the asylum law is being led by the inter-ministerial working group, which started its work in early 2012. A draft asylum bill was shared with UNHCR in May 2013. The Office provided comments and has been engaged with the working group on how to ensure compliance with basic international standards. The national eligibility committees in Djibouti and the United Republic of Tanzania resumed work in 2013. The Tanzanian committee is due to hold four sessions in 2014 in order to reduce a backlog of asylum claims that had accumulated in a nearly four-year break. In Rwanda, a new refugee bill has been approved by Parliament and is now awaiting endorsement by the Senate. In both Cameroon and Kenya, the Governments and UNHCR are discussing the gradual transfer of responsibility for refugee status determination to national authorities. In Chad, a new asylum law is awaiting adoption by the Council of Ministers before it is submitted to the National Assembly. Mixed migration UNHCR has continued its support of efforts to curb trafficking and smuggling in the East and Horn of Africa. While a number of challenges remain in Eastern Sudan, incidents decreased significantly in 2013 in comparison to previous years. The implementation of national plans to address trafficking and smuggling are ongoing in Ethiopia and Kenya. 3
Internally displaced persons In 2013, UNHCR provided assistance and protection to over 6.8 million people who were displaced internally due to conflict and violence in Africa, including 2.6 million in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, nearly 1.9 million in Sudan, and 1.1 million in Somalia. While the number of IDPs decreased in some countries -- such as Mali, where spontaneous returns reduced the estimated number of IDPs from 284,000 to 217,800 -- new crises triggered large displacements in others. Violence that broke out in December 2013 in the Central African Republic and South Sudan led to the internal displacement of some 838,000 and 724,000 people, respectively. In both situations, UNHCR played a coordinating role within the inter-agency framework, leading the clusters for protection, for emergency shelter and non-food items, and for camp coordination and camp management. A level-3 emergency response has been declared by the United Nations in both countries. In 2013, Mauritania and South Sudan signed the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention). In total, 39 countries have signed the Convention, while 22 have ratified it and deposited their instruments. The Democratic Republic of the Congo established a working group, which includes UNHCR, to draft IDP legislation. The Zambian Government also has begun drafting legislation on IDPs. In Somalia, UNHCR supported the drafting of a national IDP policy. In 2013, UNHCR, the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Brookings Institution organized several regional trainings on IDP protection and the Kampala Convention for government officials. More sessions are planned for 2014. Urban refugee policy Across the Africa operations, various aspects of the 2009 urban refugee policy were implemented, especially in protection management. With a view to enabling protection, the Office conducted or supported refugee status determination, registration and documentation. However challenges continue in some countries, including those where refugees are not allowed to reside in urban areas and where living conditions are extremely difficult. In 2013, UNHCR developed a strategy to improve assistance and protection for refugees in urban areas in Uganda. The Office will work with the Government and partners on its implementation in 2014. In Sudan, an urban strategy is being drafted, building upon the opportunity provided by the ongoing civil registration of the population, including refugees and asylum-seekers. In Chad, discussions continued on finding alternative solutions for the refugee population that has been living in camps for close to a decade. Opportunities to host refugees outside camps in local communities and to support their self-sufficiency, notably through improved livelihood activities, are being explored. In Rwanda, UNHCR has signed an agreement with a protection partner to improve protection services and community outreach in urban areas hosting almost 2,000 refugees. This will enable significant progress in meeting the standards of the urban refugee policy. An evaluation of UNHCR s interventions to prevent xenophobia in South Africa is ongoing, and results should be published in 2014. Also, in South Africa and Kenya, UNHCR organized meetings focussing on combatting xenophobia, so as to harmonize approaches, exchange information and share good practice. 4
Biometric registration Individual registration remained a key component of refugee protection in Africa. While the use of biometric registration expanded, UNHCR has been testing an improved biometric tool. For the Mali situation, biometric registration was initiated in the three main refugee hosting countries in 2013 and will continue in 2014. A biometrics enrolment and verification exercise was conducted in Malawi late 2013. Nearly 17,000 people were successfully registered using the Accenture multimodal biometrics tool. Statelessness UNHCR provided its legal and material support to the South Sudanese authorities to document its nationals in Sudan. Steady progress has been made in the issuance of nationality documents and passports to South Sudanese in Sudan, and efforts are underway to expand the geographical scope of the project beyond Khartoum. In April 2013, the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights adopted Resolution 234 on the right to nationality, which assigned the Special Rapporteur on refugees, asylum-seekers, displaced persons and migrants in Africa with the task of carrying out in-depth research on issues relating to the subject. The results are meant to inform the drafting of an African Union protocol on the right to nationality. In a landmark decision, the Parliament in Cote d Ivoire ratified the statelessness conventions in October 2013. The Office registered 1,300 people from Oman in Burundi who are at risk of becoming stateless. UNHCR is advocating for the creation of a commission composed of Burundian and Omani authorities to find lasting solutions for these individuals. C. Financial information UNHCR depends on the support of its donors in order to pursue its protection, assistance and solutions efforts, while responding to simultaneous emergencies. The 2014 comprehensive needs assessment (CNA) budget for Africa approved by the Executive Committee in October 2013 was almost US$ 1.9 billion. Since then increased the budget has been increased by an amount of US$ 104.5 million, reaching nearly US$ 2 billion, mainly as a result of the crises in the Central African Republic and South Sudan and their impact on neighbouring countries. While UNHCR continues to receive strong support from its donors, most resources have been diverted to life-saving activities in emergencies, and serious gaps persist between critical needs and actual funding. Financial needs remain acute in some operations, including for UNHCR s response to the Central African Republic and South Sudan situations. UNHCR continues to prioritize resources and respond to basic life-saving imperatives, while also striving to find durable solutions for as many refugees and other persons of concern as possible. 5