Tuesday, September 25, 2012
UN welcomes closing IDP camp but has
concerns; IDPS unable to return to their homes
While welcoming the closure of the ‘Menik Farm’ IDP camp the
United Nations has raised concerns over some of the war displaced people.
United Nations (UN) Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Subinay Nandy
said that there were concerns over 346 people who are unable to return to their
original homes.
“This is a milestone event towards ending a chapter of displacement in Sri Lanka some
three years after the civil war which ended in May 2009. But there are still
some people who are unable to return to their homes and a solution urgently
needs to be found,” Nandy said in a statement today.
The UN is concerned about 346 people (110 families) who are returning
from Menik Farm to Kepapilavu in the Mullaitivu District in the north, who are
unable to return to their homes which are occupied by the military.
Instead, they are being relocated to state land where they await formal
confirmation about what is happening to their land in the future, and plans for
compensation if they cannot return, the UN office in Colombo said.
Nandy also called on the government to fully implement the recommendations of
the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) concerning the rights
of people displaced by the conflict.
“Allowing people to settle anywhere in the country and resolving legal
ownership of land for those who have resettled away from their original
homes is a key part of the reconciliation process,” he said.
2012 UNHCR country operations profile - Sri Lanka
Working environment
The context
Sri Lanka
has seen a steady improvement in security in 2011, two years since the end of
the 26-year-long conflict between Government forces and the Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam. At the same time, the operational environment has been shifting
from humanitarian relief to early recovery and development. These trends are
expected to continue in 2012.
By the end of August 2011, the majority of internally displaced persons
(IDPs) -- some 395,00 persons -- who had been displaced during the course of
the conflict, had returned to their homes. The remaining IDPs who are still in
camps or with host communities are expected to return in 2012. It is
anticipated that the improvement in security will also spur an increase in the
voluntary return of Sri Lankan refugees from abroad in the coming years.
Significant challenges still face both the displaced and returnees, however.
In the north and east, the demining of residential zones in return areas has
not yet been completed. Much agricultural land still remains to be cleared,
particularly in what constituted forward areas in the war. Still, work is under
way to re-establish infrastructure and essential services to ensure that those
returning to their homes are able to restart their lives in safety and dignity.
Some IDPs, mainly in the Jaffna and Vavuniya
districts in northern Sri
Lanka, are still unable to return home even
after their lengthy displacement, and are living with host communities. UNHCR
continues to seek durable solutions for these and other IDPs having fled their
homes prior to April 2008, who number some 90,000 throughout the country. This
complex situation requires adequate measures by the Government if it is to be
resolved.
The number of asylum-seekers and refugees in Sri Lanka is expected to remain
stable, but the search for durable solutions will continue to be challenging.
Even though in a transitional phase, humanitarian assistance will continue to
be needed in Sri Lanka in the years ahead, in order to support the country's
mid- to long-term shift from relief to early recovery and development.
The needs
As the protection cluster lead, UNHCR has direct access to beneficiaries in
all return areas in the north. Although fulfilling the humanitarian and
protection-related needs of IDP and refugee returnees remains the main
priority, UNHCR will provide some assistance to community-based development
activities. It will also help build the capacity of national institutions and
local NGOs involved in returnee reintegration and recovery.
UNHCR is one of the main providers of humanitarian assistance to IDPs and
returnees in Sri Lanka.
Its shelter grant project is widely appreciated by the returnees, and will
continue to help them restart their lives. The shelter grant registration
process provides an invaluable opportunity for UNHCR to collect baseline
protection information, monitor returns, and identify the specific protection
needs of returning families, particularly the most vulnerable.
Providing basic non-food items (NFIs) is another priority, along with the
implementation of quick-impact projects (QIPs) to help communities re-establish
themselves and meet their needs for livelihood support.
With the increase in the number of Sri Lankan refugees expected to return in
2012, UNHCR will boost assistance by providing reintegration support and
addressing particular issues related to return. These include assistance in
recovering civil documentation and preventing statelessness for Sri Lankans
born abroad.
|
UNHCR 2012-2013
planning figures for Sri
Lanka
|
|
TYPE OF
POPULATION
|
ORIGIN
|
JAN 2012
|
DEC 2012 - JAN
2013
|
DEC 2013
|
|
TOTAL IN
COUNTRY
|
OF WHOM
ASSISTED
BY UNHCR
|
TOTAL IN
COUNTRY
|
OF WHOM
ASSISTED
BY UNHCR
|
TOTAL IN
COUNTRY
|
OF WHOM
ASSISTED
BY UNHCR
|
|
Total
|
|
295,720
|
289,220
|
188,370
|
183,270
|
114,390
|
109,290
|
|
[1] These figures indicate the number of IDPs who are
expected to return during the course of the year.
|
|
Refugees
|
Various
|
220
|
220
|
270
|
270
|
290
|
290
|
|
Asylum-seekers
|
Various
|
200
|
--
|
100
|
--
|
100
|
--
|
|
Returnees (refugees)
|
Various
|
21,300
|
15,000
|
30,000
|
25,000
|
30,000
|
25,000
|
|
IDPs
|
Various
|
156,000
|
156,000
|
81,000
|
81,000
|
13,000
|
13,000
|
|
Returnees (IDPs) [1]
|
Various
|
118,000
|
118,000
|
75,000
|
75,000
|
68,000
|
68,000
|
|
Stateless
|
Various
|
--
|
--
|
2,000
|
2,000
|
3,000
|
3,000
|
Main objectives and targets for 2012
Favourable protection environment
IDPs, returnees and refugees benefit from individual protection
interventions designed to advocate and monitor their rights.
- Regular protection
monitoring is undertaken in places of displacement, return and relocation,
and consultations are held with 7,000 people.
Fair protection processes
The provision of civil status documentation is advocated and supported.
- Some 5,000 people are
provided with support to obtain civil status documentation.
Durable solutions
IDPs achieve durable solutions through return, local integration and
relocation.
- About 90 per cent of
remaining camp-based new IDPs return voluntarily to their areas of origin.
Voluntary repatriation of refugees from India and elsewhere is facilitated.
- Approximately 25,000
refugees are assisted to repatriate voluntarily.
Resettlement to third countries is facilitated for registered refugees.
- Some 80 refugees are
assisted to depart for resettlement to third countries.
Strategy and activities in 2012
In 2012, UNHCR will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to IDPs and
returnees. As a result of the overall decline in the IDP population in the
country, the operation will move from an IDP operation towards a refugee
returnee operation. It will be of particular importance during this
transitional phase to ensure that durable solutions are found for particular
groups of persons who remain displaced, and that land and property issues are
addressed.
It is expected that the number of facilitated voluntary returns of Sri
Lankan refugees -- mainly from India
-- will increase significantly. These returnees will benefit from a
reintegration and transportation grant and NFI assistance. The number of
spontaneous returns is expected to decline as awareness of the facilitated
return process increases. UNHCR will also boost advocacy to grant formal
citizenship to refugee returnees who are stateless.
UNHCR will strengthen its protection monitoring presence and its activities
in support of civil society and national protection mechanisms. Protection
activities and community-based QIPs will underpin activities in 2012 and
beyond. They will serve to make returns more secure, improve livelihoods and
self-reliance, and minimize protection risks in communities with a mix of IDP
and refugee returnees.
Assistance to IDP returnees will be phased out as they re-establish their
livelihoods and development actors expand their activities to fill gaps.
However, it may be necessary for UNHCR to continue to provide assistance to
IDPs remaining in open camps and welfare centres.
UNHCR will conduct refugee status determination (RSD) in accordance with its
mandate, and assist recognized refugees to find durable solutions. Refugees are
not allowed to integrate locally or work in Sri Lanka, and UNHCR continues to
advocate for these rights. As very few refugees choose to repatriate,
resettlement remains the primary durable solution for them. Since this option
is limited in scope, refugees tend to stay in Sri Lanka for lengthy periods,
facing a range of difficulties.
Constraints
Access for humanitarian organizations has become easier in comparison to
previous years, but the operational environment will continue to be challenging
in 2012, both for the UN as well as international and national NGOs. This may
hamper UNHCR's operations, especially if there is limited access to some areas
for NGO partners. As Sri
Lanka moves towards early recovery and
development, funding is expected to decrease for humanitarian work, even though
substantial challenges remain. The most pressing unmet needs will exist among
the long-term displaced. It will be essential to have the support of
development partners to ensure durable solutions for this group.
Organization and implementation
Coordination
UNHCR will maintain close links with government ministries and the
Presidential Task Force for Resettlement, Development and Security in the Northern Province. It
will gradually hand over its lead role in shelter and NFIs to early recovery
actors, but continue to provide the necessary guidance and leadership,
particularly with respect to protection.
Cooperation with other relevant actors will endeavour to ensure that
assistance gaps beyond UNHCR's mandate are quickly addressed. For instance,
UNHCR's Memorandum of Understanding with the World Bank provides the latter
with return and protection monitoring information, triggering the release of
World Bank funds for recovery and reconstruction.
Financial information
Financial requirements for Sri
Lanka have decreased considerably since the
conflict ended in May 2009, and targeted humanitarian assistance has stabilized
the situation in the post-conflict period. In 2012, refugee returns are
expected to increase and IDP returns to decline, resulting in corresponding
budgetary adjustments. UNHCR's budget for Sri Lanka has declined from USD
27.2 million in 2011 to USD 17.7 million in 2012.
Source: UNHCR Global
Appeal 2012-2013
