Home > Where We Work > Africa > Central Africa and the Great Lakes > Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo flag

Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo RSS Feed

2010 UNHCR country operations profile - Democratic Republic of the Congo

Working environment

The context

Joint action by the armies of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group in Eastern DRC had raised hopes of stability in this restive region. However, various armed groups, such as the Lord's Resistance Army in Province Orientale and FDLR in North Kivu province, continue to be active. The rest of the country remains relatively calm.

The DRC continues to host some 155,000 refugees from Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda. Most live in rural areas and have been recognized as prima facie refugees. They enjoy relative freedom of movement, though possibilities for local integration are limited.

The return of Congolese refugees from Zambia and Tanzania is progressing steadily and will continue throughout 2010. On the other hand, the return of Congolese refugees from Rwanda and Burundi remains problematic; any unorganized or forced return of these people from Rwanda is likely to jeopardize peace and stability in eastern DRC.

In 2008 and early 2009, the scale of displacement of civilian populations in eastern Congo was of grave concern to the humanitarian community. By the end of December 2008, there were some 1,617,600 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in eastern DRC, with 840,000 in North Kivu, 335,000 in South Kivu, 282,600 in Province Orientale and 160,000 in Haut Uele District.

The needs

Despite a noticeable trend of IDPs returning to North Kivu, the political situation in the province is expected to remain volatile and will continue to keep those in the camps, with host families and at other sites, displaced. Though the number of IDPs in UNHCR-run camps is expected to decrease, protection and assistance needs will remain high.

UNHCR reintegration programmes facilitate the life of returnees and promote peaceful co-existence between the communities. Disputes concerning land and property, which are numerous, are settled by local and traditional leaders and by mediation and conflict-resolution committees supported by UNHCR.

The Office also supports the reintegration of IDPs by conducting needs assessments in protection, peace building and reconciliation, shelter and income generation.

While Angola declared the end of voluntary repatriation to the country in 2007, the repatriation of thousands of Angolan refugees still living in the DRC will need to be considered.

Main objectives

Fair protection processes

  • Provide legal and protection assistance to refugees.

  • Help build the capacity of the Government to conduct refugee status determination (RSD).

Security from violence and exploitation

  • Promote the prevention of, and rapid response to, sexual and gender-based violence, and HIV and AIDS.

Basic needs and services

  • Provide transitional shelter to IDPs and host families in order to reduce protection risks and conflict.

  • Ensure that IDPs living with local communities benefit from protection and material assistance as appropriate.

Community participation and self-management

  • Improve inter-agency cooperation in areas of return so that returnees are included in the development programmes of other UN agencies.

Durable solutions

  • Foster the local integration of refugees through income generation activities and vocational skills training.

  • Advocate for durable solutions for Burundian and Rwandan refugees, not limited to voluntary repatriation.

  • Develop and implement conflict prevention, peace building and reconciliation projects in areas of return.

  • Facilitate the return of IDPs and provide assistance to sustain their reintegration in areas of origin.

  • Facilitate the return of refugees from the DRC in Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda and Rwanda, and create an environment conducive to their sustainable reintegration, through a community-based approach, in preparation for a gradual phasing out of UNHCR programmes.

  • Resume the voluntary repatriation of refugees from Angola and the Republic of the Congo under UNHCR auspices.

Key targets for 2010

  • All refugees and asylum-seekers are registered individually.

  • All asylum-seekers have immediate access to RSD procedures.

  • All reported survivors of sexual and gender-based violence receive support from UNHCR and its partners.

  • Some 90 per cent of refugee children aged 6 to 11 are enrolled in primary education in all camps.

  • All individuals identified as having a need for urgent resettlement leave for third countries.

  • All repatriating refugees receive safe and secure transport to their areas of origin and the most vulnerable returnee households are equipped with adequate shelters.

  • Transitional shelters are provided to 65 per cent vulnerable IDPs and host families in order to reduce protection risks and conflict.

  • At least 80 per cent of land and property disputes are successfully mediated or referred to appropriate bodies for solution.

2010-11 UNHCR planning figures for the Democratic Republic of the Congo
TYPE OF POPULATION ORIGIN JAN 2010 DEC 2010 - JAN 2011 DEC 2011
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 1,622,830 1,495,250 920,940 839,430 626,360 583,100
Refugees Angola 99,520 1,700 69,500 1,710 39,470 1,610
Burundi 17,540 540 9,940 580 4,890 520
Rwanda 9,640 200 1,640 200 640 200
Various 3,260 310 1,860 310 690 290
Asylum-seekers Angola 250 - 100 - 100 -
Various 120 - 270 - 90 -
Returnees (refugees) 32,400 32,400 45,850 45,850 34,700 34,700
Internally displaced 791,780 791,780 545,780 545,780 382,780 328,780
Returnees (IDPs) 668,320 668,320 246,000 246,000 163,000 163,000

Strategy and activities

UNHCR will search for durable solutions by enhancing the RSD capacity of the authorities, seeking local integration opportunities and advocating for the regularization of the status of refugees in the DRC.

Urban refugees will continue to receive legal protection and targeted assistance. Rwandan refugees willing to repatriate voluntarily will be assisted. The Government will also be assisted with finding durable solutions for those who are not willing to return to Rwanda. UNHCR will encourage the Government to include people of concern in its national development plans. The Office will also continue to provide protection and assistance to Burundian refugees and seek durable solutions for them.

Most IDPs are expected to have returned to their areas of origin before the facilitated return of Congolese refugees from Rwanda begins. UNHCR will nonetheless design a contingency plan in case of a sudden return of Congolese refugees from Rwanda.

UNHCR will continue the voluntary repatriation of Congolese refugees from Zambia and Tanzania in 2010. A detailed reintegration plan focusing on reconciliation and community-based activities will be put in place, and the mediation of conflicts over land and property will be a priority.

UNHCR will advocate for greater involvement of the Government and UN development agencies in return areas. The Office will also work closely with local communities and returnees in implementing reintegration activities.

Within the framework of the cluster approach to IDP issues, UNHCR leads the protection and camp coordination and management clusters. As part of these responsibilities, the Office will focus on IDP profiling and the need to preserve the civilian nature of IDP camps. It will also seek to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence.

Constraints

As conflict continues to prevail in Province Orientale and North Kivu, people of concern to UNHCR are subject to continued abuse by armed groups, and there is an increase in sexual violence. At present, some areas where intervention is deemed necessary remain inaccessible, and some return areas have only a small presence of UN agencies and development actors. State authority is tenuous in the remote areas where the majority of returnees live.

An almost total lack of basic social infrastructure has had a negative impact on the voluntary return process. Meanwhile, refugees of Rwandan and Burundian origin are subject to frequent harassment due to the perception that rebel forces engaging in armed conflict in the DRC are backed by Rwanda and Burundi. Administrative delays are standing in the way of durable solutions, and the Government is reluctant to grant legal status to refugees.

Organization and implementation

Coordination

UNHCR will continue to work closely with WFP, ICRC, FAO, UNDP, UNICEF, WHO and some 28 implementing partners, eight of which are national NGOs. In the context of UN reform, partnerships with other UN agencies are given priority.

UNHCR participates in the UN Country Team, Programme Management Team and the UN Development Assistance Framework, the UN Stabilization Plan for the East of Congo and the Humanitarian Action Plan.

Through the Commission Nationale pour les Réfugiés, the Government of the DRC supports UNHCR's protection efforts. However, the Government's financial assistance is limited due to the decade-long internal conflict and other constraints.

Financial information

The comprehensive needs assessment for 2010 identified significant gaps in the provision of basic assistance, particularly shelter for both refugees and IDPs. In addition, UNHCR plans to increase self-reliance programmes for both groups and expand activities to facilitate and support return and repatriation.

2010 UNHCR budget for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (USD)
RIGHTS GROUPS AND OBJECTIVES REFUGEE
PROG.
PILLAR 1
STATELESS
PROG.
PILLAR 2
IDP
PROJECTS
PILLAR 4
TOTAL
Total 65,584,652 2,151,087 33,887,567 101,623,306
Favourable protection environment
National legal framework 571,798 0 513,674 1,085,472
National administrative framework 633,796 0 0 633,796
Policies towards forced displacement 0 0 468,050 468,050
National and regional migration policy 188,221 0 0 188,221
Prevention of displacement 329,577 0 498,050 827,627
Prevention of statelessness 0 1,302,736 0 1,302,736
Cooperation with partners 676,369 0 2,316,174 2,992,543
National development policies 191,221 0 0 191,221
Public attitudes towards persons of concern 448,798 0 0 448,798
Environmental protection 628,798 0 695,550 1,324,348
Subtotal 3,668,578 1,302,736 4,491,496 9,462,811
Fair protection processes and documentation
Reception conditions 271,578 0 0 271,578
Registration and profiling 1,267,901 0 883,077 2,150,978
Access to asylum procedures 271,578 0 0 271,578
Fair and efficient status determination 421,578 0 0 421,578
Family reunification 813,214 0 0 813,214
Individual documentation 234,072 0 0 234,072
Civil status documentation 829,234 0 449,221 1,278,455
Subtotal 4,109,154 0 1,332,298 5,441,452
Security from violence and exploitation
Impact on host communities 283,506 0 1,410,974 1,694,480
Effects of armed conflict 229,506 0 0 229,506
Law enforcement 215,006 0 839,474 1,054,480
Gender-based violence 1,723,593 0 505,303 2,228,896
Protection of children 800,433 0 312,803 1,113,236
Non-arbitrary detention 334,594 0 157,303 491,897
Access to legal remedies 1,192,200 0 312,803 1,505,002
Political participation 307,094 0 0 307,094
Subtotal 5,085,931 0 3,538,659 8,624,590
Basic needs and essential services
Food security 279,713 0 0 279,713
Nutrition 520,618 0 0 520,618
Water 734,884 0 0 734,884
Shelter and other infrastructure 12,498,064 0 3,059,911 15,557,975
Basic domestic and hygiene items 2,220,028 0 1,759,258 3,979,286
Primary health care 3,657,774 0 0 3,657,774
HIV and AIDS 1,271,628 0 565,447 1,837,075
Education 963,384 0 0 963,384
Sanitation services 316,615 0 0 316,615
Services for groups with specific needs 835,735 0 0 835,735
Subtotal 23,298,443 0 5,384,616 28,683,059
Community participation and self-management
Participatory assessment and community mobilization 1,031,295 0 300,032 1,331,327
Community self-management and equal representation 1,081,795 0 0 1,081,795
Camp management and coordination 0 0 900,818 900,818
Self-reliance and livelihoods 4,706,311 0 5,646,963 10,353,274
Subtotal 6,819,400 0 6,847,813 13,667,213
Durable solutions
Durable solutions strategy 330,482 0 0 330,482
Voluntary return 8,620,235 0 1,309,920 9,930,155
Rehabilitation and reintegration support 3,896,939 0 2,689,902 6,586,841
Resettlement 914,009 0 0 914,009
Local integration support 484,494 0 0 484,494
Reduction of statelessness 0 536,888 0 536,888
Subtotal 14,246,160 536,888 3,999,823 18,782,870
External relations
Donor relations 964,029 0 0 964,029
Resource mobilization 899,123 0 529,910 1,429,033
Partnership 402,119 0 0 402,119
Public information 1,068,099 0 1,473,774 2,541,873
Subtotal 3,333,371 0 2,003,684 5,337,055
Logistics and operations support
Supply chain and logistics 2,517,403 0 4,574,257 7,091,659
Programme management, coordination and support 2,506,214 311,463 1,714,920 4,532,597
Subtotal 5,023,616 311,463 6,289,177 11,624,256

Source: UNHCR Global Appeal 2010-2011

• DONATE NOW • • GET INVOLVED • • STAY INFORMED •

 

Statistical Snapshot*
* As at January 2009
  1. Country or territory of asylum or residence. In the absence of Government estimates, UNHCR has estimated the refugee population in most industrialized countries based on 10 years of asylum-seekers recognition.
  2. Persons recognized as refugees under the 1951 UN Convention/1967 Protocol, the 1969 OAU Convention, in accordance with the UNHCR Statute, persons granted a complementary form of protection and those granted temporary protection. It also includes persons in a refugee-like situation whose status has not yet been verified.
  3. Persons whose application for asylum or refugee status is pending at any stage in the procedure.
  4. Refugees who have returned to their place of origin during the calendar year. Source: Country of origin and asylum.
  5. Persons who are displaced within their country and to whom UNHCR extends protection and/or assistance. It also includes persons who are in an IDP-like situation.
  6. IDPs protected/assisted by UNHCR who have returned to their place of origin during the calendar year.
  7. Refers to persons who are not considered nationals by any country under the operation of its laws.
  8. Persons of concern to UNHCR not included in the previous columns but to whom UNHCR extends protection and/or assistance.
  9. The category of people in a refugee-like situation is descriptive in nature and includes groups of people who are outside their country of origin and who face protection risks similar to those of refugees, but for whom refugee status has, for practical or other reasons, not been ascertained.
The data are generally provided by Governments, based on their own definitions and methods of data collection.
A dash (-) indicates that the value is zero, not available or not applicable.

Source: UNHCR/Governments.
Compiled by: UNHCR, FICSS.
Residing in Democratic Republic of the Congo [1]
Refugees [2] 155,162
Asylum Seekers [3] 10
Returned Refugees [4] 54,043
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) [5] 1,460,102
Returned IDPs [6] 0
Stateless Persons [7] 0
Various [8] 6
Total Population of Concern 1,669,323
Originating from Democratic Republic of the Congo [1]
Refugees [2] 367,995
Asylum Seekers [3] 36,278
Returned Refugees [4] 54,043
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) [5] 1,460,102
Returned IDPs [6] 0
Various [8] 6
Total Population of Concern 1,918,424

Democratic Republic of the Congo UNHCR Maps Rss FeedUNHCR Maps

more documents
2010-11 UNHCR partners in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Implementing partners
Government agencies: Gouvernorat Régional du Nord-Kivu; Commission Nationale pour les Réfugiés
NGOs: Action Humanitaire Africaine; Actions et Interventions pour le Développement et l'Encadrement Social; Adventist Development and Relief Agency; Aide et Action pour la Paix; Arche d'Alliance; Association Africaine de Défense des Droits de l'Homme; Association pour le Développement Social et la Sauvegarde de l'Environnement; CARE International; Commission Nationale pour les Réfugiés; Encadrement des Réfugiés Urbains de la Ville de Kinshasa; International Medical Corps; Mercy Corps; Norwegian Refugee Council; OXFAM; Pain pour les Déshérités; Première Urgence France; Réseau d'Actions Citoyennes pour le Développement; Saving Lives Through Alternate Options; Search for Common Ground; Vétérinaires Sans Frontières; Women for Women International
Others: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit; UN-HABITAT; UNOPS
Operational partners
Others: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit; FAO; UN-HABITAT; UNOPS

UNHCR/Partners Bring Aid to North Kivu

UNHCR/Partners Bring Aid to North Kivu

Displaced in North Kivu: A Life on the Run