REGIONAL SUMMARIES I ASIA AND THE PACIFIC REGIONAL SUMMARIES I ASIA AND THE PACIFIC REGIONAL SUMMARIES Asia and the Pacific In 2019, UNHCR focused on securing durable solutions through “ voluntary return, resettlement and complementary pathways. Hand-in-hand with these were efforts to expand support to refugees, IDPs, stateless persons and communities generously hosting them. However, greater international burden- and responsibility-sharing, in the spirit of the Global Compact on Refugees, is needed to provide vital assistance to refugees and their host communities, and to support governments in further advancing inclusive policies. ” —Indrika Ratwatte, Director, Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific A Rohingya refugee watches over his great-granddaughter at Kutupalong refugee settlement. While fleeing from violence at home in Myanmar, his wife and two sons were murdered, and he arrived with just one great-granddaughter. © UNHCR/Kamrul Hasan 110 UNHCR GLOBAL REPORT 2019 UNHCR GLOBAL REPORT 2019 111 REGIONAL SUMMARIES I ASIA AND THE PACIFIC REGIONAL SUMMARIES I ASIA AND THE PACIFIC MAJOR SITUATIONS OR OPERATIONS IN In 2019, progress in resolving the root causes of displacement stalled, meaning durable solutions remained out of reach for most people of concern to UNHCR in the region. However, in collaboration with governments and other ASIA AND THE PACIFIC IN 2019 partners, UNHCR made continued progress in securing the inclusion of the displaced in national systems. MYANMAR KEY RESULTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS Situation L2 Level of emergency The majority of refugees and stateless persons from Myanmar are Rohingya, 15,000 individuals in Myanmar for whom durable solutions and access to basic rights such as freedom of benefited from 16 community CRRF country Refugee camp movement, livelihoods and education remained elusive, whether at home in infrastructure projects and Myanmar or in exile abroad. 4 projects targeting persons at IDP initiative IDP camp In Bangladesh, UNHCR and the Government jointly completed the registration heightened risk of some 855,000 Rohingya refugees, including 784,000 in 2019, providing them 784,387 refugees were registered Rohingya refugee with identity documents—many for the first time in their lives—and establishing outflow a basis for their right to return to Myanmar. UNHCR placed considerable focus on strengthening the in Bangladesh protection environment through community-based mechanisms, including a network of community outreach members who identified and referred people at heightened risk within the refugee population 6,980 refugees at heightened risk to specialized services, disseminating as well lifesaving information. In total, 3,965 refugees were in Bangladesh benefited from referred to service providers and direct support was provided by community outreach members to UNHCR’s network of community AFGHANISTAN 6,980 people, while more than 14,000 emergency preparedness awareness sessions were conducted outreach members ISLAMIC REPUBLIC across the camps. OF IRAN UNHCR, IOM and the UN Resident Coordinator led the coordination and implementation of the PAKISTAN Kachin State 2019 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis with 132 partners, focusing on delivering protection, providing lifesaving assistance and fostering social cohesion. MYANMAR BANGLADESH In Myanmar itself, UNHCR advocated the rights and status of some 600,000 Rohingya who remain in Rakhine State, 140,000 of whom are internally L2 displaced, as well as the protection of over 170,000 other IDPs throughout the country. UNHCR also worked with UNDP to conduct needs assessments Shan State BANGLADESH and implement quick impact projects to improve conditions in the northern townships of Rakhine State, home to most Rohingya. Throughout Rakhine (North) State, fighting between the Myanmar armed forces and the Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine armed group, led to a 25% increase in the total number of IDPs in Myanmar. AFGHANISTAN Cox's Bazar MYANMAR 1.42 million REGISTERED AFGHAN REFUGEES Rakhine State IN PAKISTAN 951,100 REGISTERED AFGHAN REFUGEES MYANMAR IN THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN 1.12 million 2.6 million REFUGEES AND ASYLUMSEEKERS AFGHANISTAN INTERNALLY DISPLACED FROM MYANMAR Entering the fifth decade of displacement, Afghans are the second largest 8,079 Afghan refugee returnees 400,000 855,000 refugee population globally, while Pakistan remains the world’s second largest assisted with voluntary repatriation NEW CONFLICTINDUCED IDPS REFUGEES AND ASYLUMSEEKERS refugee-hosting country (with 69% of Afghan refugees residing in urban areas), cash grants IN AFGHANISTAN IN BANGLADESH and the Islamic Republic of Iran ranks sixth (with 97% of Afghan refugees 8,079 1 312,000 residing in urban areas). In Pakistan, 22 refugee-aected AFGHAN REFUGEE RETURNEES INTERNALLY DISPLACED While voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan reached a new low due to and hosting areas programme 48% 1.57 million uncertainty over the political transition and the deteriorating security situation, projects were implemented, OF AFGHAN REFUGEES IN STATELESS PERSONS 600,000 IN onward movements to Europe increased. 8,079 Afghan refugee returnees were assisted with voluntary benefitting some 280,000 people PAKISTAN ARE CHILDREN MYANMAR AND 970,000 REFUGEES repatriation cash grants in 2019, including 6,062 from Pakistan and 1,939 from the Islamic Republic of AND ASYLUMSEEKERS Iran. This was nearly half the number of repatriations recorded and assisted in 2018. 480,000 Afghan and Iraqi children 78% The Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR) remained the overarching policy and operational were enrolled in primary and OF REFUGEES IN BANGLADESH ARE framework for strengthening support to host countries while creating the conditions for sustainable secondary schools in the Islamic WOMEN OR CHILDREN return and reintegration. Entering its eighth year, the SSAR was augmented by a support platform under Republic of Iran, including the Global Compact on Refugees, focused on resilience and youth empowerment through education, 130,000 undocumented Afghan health and skills, and which prioritized investments in humanitarian-development-peace-related children activities in the priority areas of return and reintegration (PARRs) in Afghanistan. 500,000 people 92,000 vulnerable refugees benefited from UNHCR's investment in education, health care, WASH, and other community benefited from the Islamic 1 Figure represents Afghans whose return was facilitated by UNHCR and who were processed at encashment centers in Afghanistan. infrastructure projects in the PARRs, jointly approved by UNHCR and the Government of Afghanistan. Republic of Iran’s Universal Public With more than 400,000 new conflict-induced IDPs recorded in 2019 in Afghanistan, UNHCR continued Health Insurance programme to co-lead the Protection Cluster and Shelter and NFI Cluster, working towards strengthening the through UNHCR’s contribution humanitarian-development-peace nexus and the long-term integration of IDPs. With 72% of displaced PEOPLE OF CONCERN AGE AND GENDER BREAKDOWN to the scheme (including IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS households reporting shelter as their main priority after food, UNHCR rolled out a pilot cash-for-shelter 1,182 refugees with specific project, aimed at assisting vulnerable households to construct permanent shelter by providing medication conditions) conditional cash (around $3,300 per household). 44% REFUGEES 4.2 MILLION 25% 1% RETURNEES (Refugees and IDPs) 137,000 50% 33% 11% 9.5 million IDPs 3.2 MILLION of the global population people of concern in Asia and the Pacific of concern 2% ASYLUMSEEKERS 15% 212,000 60+ 18-59 12% STATELESS PERSONS 1.2 MILLION 12-17 UNDER 18 (2.3 MILLION IN TOTAL*) 7% OTHERS OF CONCERN 5-11 632,000 5% 0-4 47% * Chart reflects UNHCR’s statistical reporting methodology that reports only one legal status for each person of concern. However the total statelessness figure includes 1,113,315 stateless persons of Rohingya ethnicity who are also counted as refugees, asylum-seekers or others of concern in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand or as IDPs in Myanmar. 112 UNHCR GLOBAL REPORT 2019 UNHCR GLOBAL REPORT 2019 113 REGIONAL SUMMARIES I ASIA AND THE PACIFIC REGIONAL SUMMARIES I ASIA AND THE PACIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS AND KEY RESULTS IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC PERSONS ASSISTED WITH CONFIRMATION OF NATIONALITY facilitating the prioritization of lifesaving 862,923 KEY ACHIEVEMENTS people of concern registered AND IMPACT assistance. A key success has been UNHCR's on an individual basis distribution of liquefied petroleum gas 45,000 (LPG) and improved cooking stoves. Over 40,602 Registration Safeguarding access to protection 37,500 107,000 refugee households in the camps ndividuals and responding with lifesaving I 33,274 now receive LPG supplies and refills, 30,000 assistance as well as 10,700 host community families. 22,500 21,966 20,644 20,644 18,540 persons with undetermined At the Global Refugee Forum, UNHCR, with A study has found that LPG distribution has 15,000 nationality assisted with the Islamic Republics of Afghanistan, Iran resulted in an 80% reduction of demand confirmation of nationality Statelessness and Pakistan, launched a Support Platform for firewood by Rohingya households in 7,500 for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan the camps, positively benefitting sustainable 0 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Refugees (SSAR). The Platform strengthens tree growth and reforestation, and $15.5 million international responsibility-sharing through reducing other