Southern Africa Regional Summaries | Southern Africa
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REGIONAL SUMMARIES | SOUTHERN AFRICA REGIONAL SUMMARIES | SOUTHERN AFRICA “We are never as effective as when the “whole-of-society” is working together to bring compassion, resources and expertise in response to humanitarian situations. In the spirit of the Global Compact on Refugees and UNHCR’s IDP Policy, governments, NGOs, civil society, private sector and people of concern are UNHCR’s most important partners in responding to the displacement of more than 6.2 million people of concern in the Southern Africa region.” Valentin Tapsoba Director, Regional Bureau for Southern Africa KEY STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES Ensuring a favourable protection and UNHCR agreed on standard operating environment procedures to prevent refoulement, facilitate refugee status determination The 16 countries in the Southern Africa and solutions identification. UNHCR will region host more than 1 million refugees also support ratification of the Kampala and asylum-seekers, mainly from Burundi, Convention by States and its incorporation the Democratic Republic of the Congo into national laws and policies. (DRC), Ethiopia and Somalia. There were in addition some 5 million IDPs and There will be a strong focus on prevention IDP returnees, nearly all of whom were in of statelessness in the region in 2020. the DRC. In 2019, there was a more than UNHCR will support Angola and the 8% increase in the population of concern Kingdom of Eswatini in developing to UNHCR compared to the previous year, national action plans on the eradication with mixed migratory flows also placing Southern of statelessness and assist the Kingdom a strain on national asylum systems, of Eswatini and Zimbabwe in undertaking triggering restrictive migration and refugee comprehensive studies on statelessness. policies in the region. Africa The Republic of Congo and the Comoros Against this backdrop, UNHCR will have pledged to accede to both continue advocating accession to, statelessness conventions. and ratification of, international and regional instruments on refugees, IDPs At a regional level, UNHCR will also seek and stateless persons. In the Republic to focus its efforts in operationalizing the Internally displaced people at a site in Bule, Ituri Province, in the of Congo, UNHCR will advocate the Global Compact on Refugees through Democratic Republic of the Congo, where two men and four children were killed in an attack. adoption of a national asylum law while partnerships with relevant regional © UNHCR/John Wessels the Seychelles has requested technical economic communities such as the support in drafting a national legal asylum Southern African Development Community framework that could prove a model for (SADC), with which a Memorandum of other Indian Ocean Island States. Mauritius Understanding was signed in 2019. 60 UNHCR GLOBAL APPEAL 2020-2021 UNHCR GLOBAL APPEAL 2020-2021 61 REGIONAL SUMMARIES | SOUTHERN AFRICA REGIONAL SUMMARIES | SOUTHERN AFRICA Providing community-based Pursuing durable solutions for of residence permits for 10,000 former Enhancing emergency preparedness protection and multi-sectoral people of concern Angolan refugees and 4,000 former and response capacity assistance Rwandan refugees as part of the legal In eastern DRC, armed conflict and As the region is highly exposed to the effects integration process. Namibia is also in the UNHCR will provide multi-sectoral inter-communal violence fuel displacement of climate change, and to natural disasters, process of formalizing the residency and protection and emergency assistance and slow return. Despite the trend towards UNHCR will enhance its preparedness and inclusion of former Angolan refugees. The to populations of concern and host voluntary returns in the Kasai provinces, response capacity to be quicker and more DRC Government is considering offering communities, anchoring the response in peacebuilding continues to be fragile effective in emergencies, including natural long-stay visas to up to 80,000 Rwandans national services and government systems, because of intercommunity tension, and disasters. Following the devastation caused who have indicated their wish to remain. development plans, multi-year strategies weak local governance and security. by Tropical Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, and regional protection frameworks and UNHCR will also contribute to resilience Promoting social cohesion and Malawi and Zimbabwe, UNHCR, through policies. Particular attention will be paid and solutions in its IDP response by peaceful co-existence its partnership with SADC, will assist to the needs of children and women. In the coordinating with humanitarian, development Member States in enhancing their DRC, UNHCR will provide multi-purpose and peacebuilding partners, while supporting South Africa receives a high number emergency preparedness and response cash grants to 17,500 IDP and host the inclusive application of national and of asylum applications, has a large capacities to better manage such situations community households as well as provincial development plans. asylum appeal backlog and complex in the future. In Mozambique, as part of 26,500 shelters. In addition, support to protection problems faced by people responsible disengagement from its role in In line with the Global Compact, whenever primary education will be provided for of concern. Thus, social cohesion between the inter-agency response to Idai, UNHCR possible, UNHCR is working with 68,000 refugee students from Burundi, refugees and host communities can be a will have a limited operational presence in governments to support voluntary returns to the Central African Republic and challenge. In South Africa, in line with the Beira, Sofala Province, until 30 June 2020 various parts of the DRC, so such returns South Sudan, while 6,000 refugee “whole-of-society” approach, UNHCR will focusing on Protection Cluster coordination, can take place when populations are ready. households will receive shelter support. establish new partnerships and further protection monitoring and community-based The new Policy Voluntary returns of refugees from the DRC on “UNHCR’s In Malawi, the congestion of Dzaleka refugee strengthen existing relationships with protection. In eastern DRC, UNHCR will are ongoing from Angola, and planning is Engagement camp poses a significant risk to the relevant stakeholders to enhance the continue building a flexible-response capacity in Situations underway for returns from the Republic of of Internal well-being of the 42,000 refugees there. protection of refugees and asylum-seekers, and working with local authorities and Congo and Zambia. Voluntary repatriation Displacement” Due to Malawi’s encampment policy, including government, civil society, organisations to reinforce their emergency tripartite agreements will be important most are unable to provide basic needs faith-based organizations, private sector preparedness. It will also contribute to avenues to raise refugee concerns related for their families and depend largely on and host communities. UNHCR will stronger inter-agency contingency planning to creating conducive conditions in return aid provided by UNHCR and partners. promote social cohesion and peaceful through the Protection, Shelter and CCCM areas, and to highlight any barriers to co-existence in refugee-hosting Clusters that it leads or co-leads. POLICY ON UNHCR’S Given the scale and magnitude of internal sustainable return and reintegration, such ENGAGEMENT IN SITUATIONS UNHCR/Anna Hellge UNHCR/Anna OF INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT UNHCR/HCP/2019/1 © communities through a community-based displacement in the DRC, particularly as security, governance, social cohesion In line with the new IDP Policy, in the DRC, approach, protection monitoring as well eastern DRC, UNHCR is significantly and services. UNHCR will contribute to a predictable as social and legal assistance. stepping up its support to IDPs in line emergency response while working closely In most countries in the region, as with UNHCR’s new IDP Policy. More than 95% of IDPs in the DRC live in with local leaders on their preparedness for prospects for voluntary repatriation remain host communities and 62% are children. cyclic violence and displacement. UNHCR This means ensuring its rapid response limited, UNHCR is focusing on advancing Community-based protection programmes will also support local authorities and is relevant to the context; expanding local integration through advocating for will seek to involve displaced populations communities to respond to the needs of its protection interventions, including socioeconomic and legal inclusion, as well and their hosts in resolving low-level affected populations through national and community-based approaches and as enhancing education, self-reliance and disputes and identifying significant threats local institutions. social cohesion activities; advocating livelihood programmes in cooperation to raise with authorities. Such programmes better protection for people of concern; with host governments and other relevant support more inclusive responses while and carrying out emergency shelter stakeholders. Many countries of asylum promoting social cohesion and peaceful and camp coordination and camp are also working towards integrating co-existence. management, inter-agency coordination former refugees who wish to remain. In and operational delivery. Zambia, UNHCR is advocating the issuance 62 UNHCR GLOBAL APPEAL 2020-2021 UNHCR GLOBAL APPEAL 2020-2021 63 REGIONAL SUMMARIES | SOUTHERN AFRICA REGIONAL SUMMARIES | SOUTHERN AFRICA MAJOR SITUATION