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Operational Highlights Persons of Concern

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Operational Highlights Persons of Concern Libya Operational highlights l UNHCR opened an office in Benghazi from which it provided emergency shelter and non-food items (NFIs) to l Following the outbreak of violence in Libya in internally displaced persons (IDPs); monitored protection; February 2011 and the subsequent closure of UN offices and conducted capacity-building activities. in Tripoli, UNHCR mobilized two emergency teams to l Although the Tripolioffice was officially closed until provide protection and assistance to people of concern September 2011, UNHCR was able to provide cash stranded in the country or on the move towards its assistance and counselling services to refugees and borders. asylum-seekers through its national staff and Persons of concern Of whom assisted Per cent Per cent Type of Population Origin Total by UNHCR female under 18 Refugees Iraq 2,700 2,700 49 30 Occupied Palestinian 2,700 2,700 48 30 Territory Eritrea 800 800 22 21 Sudan 800 800 40 34 Various 450 450 37 28 People in a Somalia 1,900 1,900 - - refugee-like situation Various 700 700 - - Asylum-seekers Eritrea 1,300 280 24 11 Somalia 600 600 35 23 Iraq 500 20 45 34 Sudan 320 320 34 25 Various 120 70 36 16 IDPs Libya 93,600 - - - Returnees (IDPs) Libya 458,000 - - - Returnees (refugees) Tunisia 149,000 - - - Total 713,490 11,340 UNHCR Global Report 2011 153 implementing partner in Tripoli. In addition, telephone Achievements and impact hotlines were established locally and at UNHCR Headquarters. £ Main objectives and targets l UNHCR lobbied the interim Government to expand protection space and re-establish refugee processing UNHCR’s priorities in Libya changed drastically due to the activities, including registration, refugee status conflict, shifting from protection and assistance for urban determination (RSD) and identification of durable refugees and asylum-seekers to immediate evacuation of solutions. third-country nationals and provision of humanitarian assistance to displaced Libyans, refugees and asylum-seekers. Working environment As the conflict neared its conclusion, the scope of humanitarian needs lessened. However, protection continued to be a priority, particularly for third-country Inspired by the Arab Spring popular movements, the Libyan nationals, refugees and asylum-seekers facing the risk of revolution began in mid-February 2011 and concluded with detention and arrest, as well as for minority IDP populations the declaration of liberation by the National Transitional unable or unwilling to return. Council (NTC) on 23 October 2011. These events have resulted in historic changes to the political, economic and social fabric of the country. At the same time, heavy fighting Favourable protection environment during the conflict caused widespread civilian displacement, l UNHCR monitored protection conditions and profiled especially in frontline areas on the coast and in the Nafusa newly arriving asylum-seekers and refugees displaced Mountains. More than 550,000 Libyans were displaced within Libya in order to identify protection and assistance internally, while over 900,000 people, both Libyans and gaps and extremely vulnerable individuals needing third-country nationals, fled the country. urgent support. With the end of the conflict, significant numbers of Libyans returned from abroad and from within the country l UNHCR was the lead agency for identifying and to their places of origin. However, many from minority responding to the protection needs of IDPs throughout groups were unable or unwilling to return owing to the conflict. It coordinated with the UN Support Mission inter-communal tension and fear of reprisals by armed in Libya (UNSMIL) to provide protection and seek groups. By the end of 2011, some 170,000 persons remained solutions for IDPs, including those from former frontline internally displaced. areas such as Tawargha, Bani Walid and Sirte. Some 225 Prior to the crisis, some 11,000 refugees and IDP monitoring visits identified vulnerable groups in asylum-seekers were registered with UNHCR. Of these, numerous areas. some 9,400, mostly Eritreans, Iraqis, Somalis and Sudanese, l UNHCR trained some 500 people on international remained in Libya at the end of 2011. However, it is protection, human rights and refugee law issues, targeting estimated that there were several hundred more refugees representatives of various ministries, lawyers, judges, and asylum-seekers in Libya at the end of 2011 who had human rights activists, academics and the media. It also previously been unable to register with UNHCR or had trained some 80 implementing-partner staff on recently entered the country. protection standards. Irregular entry into Libya continued during and after the conflict. Third-country nationals, especially sub-Saharan Fair protection processes Africans, became more vulnerable to human rights violations (including arbitrary search, arrest and detention) l As a result of the conflict and pending the signing of a because of widespread xenophobia targeting alleged country agreement between UNHCR and the Libyan mercenaries. Government, there were no registration, documentation Somalis represented one of the largest groups arriving in or RSD activities in 2011. When violence erupted in Libya throughout this period, either directly, or from Libya, some people of concern fled to Saloum in Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan. Many resided in camp-like and Shousha in Tunisia,where these procedures were settings, either to find protection with other displaced being carried out. There were no reception facilities for people, or because they had been transferred there after asylum-seekers during the conflict in Libya. being arrested. Most sites were operated by local authorities. Asylum-seekers were received through implementing Meanwhile, UNHCR and IOM identified hundreds of other partners in Benghazi and Tripoli. Emergency hotlines fearful third-country nationals gathered in small urban were operational. pockets or in public premises in very difficult conditions. l More than 133,000 IDPs were profiled through protection Libya is a signatory to the Organization of African Unity’s monitoring visits and in coordination with registration 1969 Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee undertaken by LibAid (the Government’s humanitarian Problems in Africa, but it is not a signatory to the 1951 arm). Refugee Convention. In the absence of national asylum legislation and institutions, UNHCR had carried out Security from violence and exploitation registration, documentation, RSD and the identification of durable solutions prior to the crisis. These activities were l Because of their perceived involvement in the armed put on hold in 2011, pending the signing of an agreement conflict, third-country nationals, particularly those from with the new Libyan authorities to formalize UNHCR’s sub-Saharan Africa, came to be at risk of arrest and presence in the country. arbitrary detention. UNHCR undertook numerous 154 UNHCR Global Report 2011 interventions at checkpoints and with local militias to l Through its implementing partner, UNHCR conducted obtain the release from detention of more than 400 shelter assessments. UNHCR assessed nearly 10,000 individuals; it also negotiated with armed groups on houses for damage and household vulnerability in the freedom of movement and protection of rights. Nafusa Mountains, Bani Walid, Sirte and other areas. The Vulnerable groups, such as unaccompanied minors and findings were shared with the relevant authorities for women, were identified and assisted with food and health follow-up action. care. l UNHCR advocated with the NTC and local authorities Community participation and self-management on the protection of third-country nationals. It developed a strategy for the protection of third-country nationals l Despite the conflict, participatory assessments were and shared its recommendations with the NTC, including conducted in June with 375 women, girls, boys and men in on alternatives to detention and the provision of 16 IDP sites in Benghazi. More assessments were made in temporary migrant registration documentation under an December with the participation of some 500 women, immigration amnesty. girls, boys and men in seven IDP sites in eastern and western Libya. The recurrent finding in almost all l There were significant gains in improving awareness of groups was fear of retaliation owing to association with sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) at national and the former regime. Fear of arbitrary arrest and detention, community levels; creating coordination mechanisms as well as concerns about lack of documentation, were also among partners; and formulating standard operating highlighted. procedures and safe referral pathways for victims. Durable solutions Basic needs and services l Despite the identification of a number of urgent and l Both during and after the crisis, UNHCR provided cash emergency cases, no resettlement took place in 2011 due to assistance, medical care and educational support to government restrictions on the issuance of exit visas. All vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers. Furthermore, it of the resettlement cases submitted to the Resettlement coordinated emergency shelter activities and distributed Hub in Beirut remained pending. food and NFIs to people of concern throughout the country. Logistics and operations support l During the period of Ramadan, the Office provided supplementary food to families in the Nafusa Mountains, l During the conflict, NFIs were purchased in Egypt or Benghazi and Misrata. In addition,
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