INTERNATIONAL REGION Resettlement Program Activities Overseas May 2015
Area Trips Some trips completed in 2014-2015: - Azraq camp (Jordan) - Nyarugusu camp (Tanzania) - Osire Camp (Namibia) -Thai/Burmese border camps (Thailand) - Bujumbura (Burundi) - N’djamena (Tchad) Congolese family at airport prior to departure for - Tabou (Côte d’Ivoire) resettlement to Canada. - Khartoum (Sudan) Source: UNHCR Factsheet, March 2015 1
Area Trips Common elements of area trips: - Activities at transit centres outside of camp (e.g. run by Red Cross), include initial registration, selection interviews, and immigration medical exams, DNA sample-taking. - Cultural orientation sessions for refugees destined to Canada conducted by IOM. - Interpreters, facilities arranged by partners. - Use of Canadian consular Medical screening of Congolese family by facilities (e.g. Khartoum). UNHCR health partner staff. Source: UNHCR Factsheet, March 2015 2
Partners • Strong working relationships with UNHCR (protection officers, resettlement staff) and IOM. • Area trips may include meetings with UNHCR, IOM representatives to discuss resettlement operations. • Camp governance by host country government department (e.g. Tanzania Ministry of Home Affairs). Sports centre funded by the International Olympic Committee, Azraq Refugee • Joint UNHCR and government Camp, Jordan. verification of refugees in camps Source: CIC report, April 2015 (e.g. Thailand). 3
Conditions in camps • Few income generating opportunities for refugees within camps. • Work permits required for refugees to work off-site (e.g. Namibia). • Temporary solution vs. long term settlement. • Geographic isolation/remoteness. • Lack of electricity. Azraq Refugee Camp, Jordan. Source: CIC report, April 2015 • Common health issues including malaria and malnutrition. 4
Conditions in camps • Mostly secure for officers to visit, some tightly controlled (e.g. Tanzania). • Health facilities and schooling available (often only primary education). Some movement to camps due to higher quality schools e.g. Thailand Mae Hong Son camp. • Some purpose-built camps with paved roads, underground sewer system, Main street in Maheba Refugee Settlement, central mosque and large Solwezi, Zambia. supermarket (e.g. Azraq, Source: CIC report, January 2013 Jordan). 5
Nairobi – Processing • High volume office with reduced CIC staff complement due to heightened security concerns affecting families, regional instability and threats of terrorist attacks. • Coverage of 11 different countries. • Challenges: – Restrictions on movement of refugees/inaccessibility (e.g. Kenyan encampment policy); applicants often do not have fixed contact information and/or reside in remote areas. – Establishing ID of applicants, limited or fraudulent documents, fabricated claims. – Interviews necessary for majority of applicants. – Logistically complex territory for officer travel. – Heavy reliance on sponsors to contact clients, high no show rate for interviews and incomplete form submission. – Application delays caused by difficulties establishing identify and relationships, additional dependents and difficulty in access. – Exit permit requirements for East Africa. 6
Cairo – Processing • Temporary location of mission, operational challenges due to security situation in Egypt. • High intake office, majority of cases (> 80%) from Sudan. • Challenges: – Logistical challenges with Sudan area trips, flights, communication/IT and receipt of applications; – Loss of contact between applicant and mission; – Addition of dependants to applications resulting in delays; – Establishing bona fides of new marriages in refugee community; – Exit permit requirements for Sudan and flight availability issues. 7
Pretoria – Processing • Covers Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Congo, Burundi and Rwanda. • Challenges: – Logistical challenges, significant travel for officers; – Some credibility concerns, inconsistencies in applicants’ information; – Political instability (e.g. Burundi elections, South Africa xenophobic violence); – Encampment policies in Southern African countries; – Heavy reliance on sponsors to contact clients. 8
Islamabad – Processing • Resource-intensive resettlement operations; large inventory (Afghani) and reduced CIC staff complement due to regional security concerns. • Challenges: – High incidence of false and fraudulent claims; – Establishment of bona fides of family relationships/dependent children, sometimes through DNA-testing; – Lengthy background checks, especially on Afghan nationals, and non-disclosure of military service; – Delays in file creation due to mismatch between information on application form and sponsorship submission; – Repatriation to Afghanistan and misrepresentation of country of residence to pursue refugee claims in Pakistan; – Exit permit requirements. 9
Ankara Hub – Processing • Ankara: provides support to Beirut and Ankara, also processes former Moscow PSR caseload. • Beirut: small office, increased responsibilities due to processing of Syrian, and to lesser extent, Iraqi applications. • Amman: small office with a potentially bigger role to play in the region especially for Syrian and Iraqi commitments. • Challenges: – Admissibility concerns; – Incomplete applicant information and credibility concerns related to eligibility and identity; – Presence of an alternate durable solution (second nationality or permanent residency in another country); – Out-of-date contact information and family composition information; – Hard to access populations (e.g. Afghans in Iran, Iraqis in Syria); – Increased migration to and through Turkey; – Exit permit requirements. 10
Singapore – Processing • Large and experienced mission, covering 11 countries (and Nepal for refugee resettlement only). • Potential to take on more PSR cases. • Challenges: – Logistically challenging and resource-intensive area trips, especially for Thai-Myanmar border camps (Thailand encampment policy in place); – Access to camp-based refugees for medical exams time- consuming and dependent on IOM availability; – Lengthy background checks, admissibility concerns for involvement with certain groups; – Exit permit requirements (not possible to obtain for non- registered). 11
Osire Refugee Camp, Namibia, February 2015 • Located 250km north of Windhoek, surrounded by desert and accessible only by dirt road. • Previously a prison used mostly for political prisoners. • Currently 2,696 refugees. • Nationals from Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) make up majority of camp population (78%). • UNHCR phasing out operations Refugee accommodation. in Namibia since 2012. Source: CIC report, March 2015 Government of Namibia to assume complete management of camp . 12
Osire Refugee Camp, Namibia, February 2015 • CIC drove in mission vehicle from South Africa to Namibia. • CIC met with camp administrator and other Government of Namibia staff. • Biometrics done on-site for approx. 70 individuals. • CIC received comments Biometrics collection. from refugees regarding Source: CIC report, March 2015 management transition. 13
Osire Refugee Camp, Namibia, February 2015 • CIC donated a number of sporting items on behalf of the Maple Leaf Club (MLC) based at the Nairobi mission. • Forty-one families (141 individuals ) resettled to date. • CIC will continue to follow transition. MLC donations. Source: CIC report, March 2015 14
General Challenges • Concerns around exclusion - war crimes, crimes against humanity and civilians . • Populations are heavily dependent on international aid (e.g. World Food Programme). • Surrounding country conditions and regional instability(e.g. protracted armed conflict, clashes with local police officials, election time disorder). • Significant number of survivors of violence and torture. Refugee camp housing, Thai-Myanmar border. • Increased vulnerability of single Source: CIC report, 2014 head of family households • Gender-based violence. 15
Things to remember • Please ensure that forms are properly completed and all documents listed in request/interview convocation letters are submitted. • Advise of changes to applicants’ contact information and family composition (e.g. marital status, additional dependents, removal of family members). • Advise of applicants’ resettlement to another country or return back home. • Encourage applicants to be forthcoming about military histories and not use fraudulent documentation. 16
Things to remember • Continue to assist missions by passing on correspondence to applicants. • Specify relationship to applicant and file number in all correspondence with missions. Limit enquiries to those listed in sponsorship undertaking to maintain privacy and program integrity. • Consult information available on UNHCR’s RefWorld to assess the credibility of claims (http://www.refworld.org). 17
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