Rwanda

2012 UNHCR country operations profile - Rwanda

Working environment

The context

Following some unrest in 2010, Rwanda enjoys a relatively stable political environment. The Government has set as priority the repatriation of Rwandan refugees in neighbouring countries and has requested UNHCR to invoke the cessation clauses for this group. UNHCR is therefore working with all concerned parties with a view to the application of the cessation clauses by the end of June 2012.

Meanwhile, UNHCR has already been assisting the voluntary repatriation of Rwandan refugees still in exile, and searching for solutions for those who may not be able to return, in addition to meeting the protection needs of selected cases. The Government continues to make preparations for the possible invocation of the cessation clauses, advocating for Rwandan refugees in neighbouring countries to consider returning voluntarily to their home country. It is also seeking to implement tripartite agreements with the various countries hosting Rwandan refugees.

Through the UN's Delivering as One initiative, a communications specialist is working closely with UNHCR and the Government to strengthen the information campaign on voluntary repatriation. In 2010, nearly 10,000 Rwandan refugees returned home voluntarily; another 4,000 had returned by July 2011.

By mid-2011, UNHCR was assisting some 56,000 people of concern in Rwanda, mainly refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The majority of these refugees live in camps, while a small number reside in the capital, Kigali. The prospects for their return still depend on the improvement of security in the DRC, which remains unstable in many areas.

At the regional level, Rwanda has signed various agreements with neighbouring countries, notably one signed in March 2010 with the East African Community (EAC) and with UNHCR, on cooperation in protecting the rights of displaced persons, including refugees, asylum-seekers and IDPs, in the region. UNHCR is seeking the integration of its provisions within domestic law.

The needs

Refugee households in Rwanda remain highly dependent on the protection and assistance provided by UNHCR. The lack of land (including for agricultural purposes) and income-generating activities as well as limits on access to education and low skill levels all hinder self-reliance. Harsh living conditions in the camps are further exacerbated by poor soil, erosion-prone hillsides, inclement weather and crowded shelters.

The average camp area per refugee is 16.2 square metres, significantly lower than the standard of 45 square metres, posing sanitation and hygiene problems. With populations growing by some 30 births a month, the substandard conditions are made even worse by the lack of durable roofing materials and latrines. Such conditions have far-reaching consequences, and could lead to sexual and gender-based violence, HIV and AIDS, early pregnancies and increased high school drop-out rates for girls, prostitution, and protection and psychosocial risks for children and other vulnerable individuals. In 2010, the Government provided 2.4 hectares of land to expand Nyabiheke camp in Byumba, prompting renewed hope that it would consider the expansion of other refugee camps.

Water supplies are variable. Supplies are tight in Gihembe and Nyabiheke camps, where they range from 7-14 litres per person per day. In Kiziba, residents get more than 20 litres per person per day. All camp-based refugees receive food assistance, even though the standard of 2,100 kcal per day is not always met in all the camps, due to temporary shortages of some food items. The situation is made worse by the lack of cultivable land around the camps to enable refugees to supplement their food rations through small-scale agriculture.

Returnees to Rwanda receive three-month food rations as well as basic non-food items, before returning to their districts of origin. However, in order to sustain their reintegration, there is also a need for skills training, income-generation and livelihood activities. The returnees face extreme poverty, as well as land and shelter issues, lack of medical coverage, a dearth of job opportunities and the need to walk long distances in search of water. In the first half of the year, some 4,000 returnees had been received and assisted by UNHCR.

Main objectives and targets for 2012

Fair protection processes and documentation

Registration and the provision of civil status documentation are improved.

• All children under 12 months of age are issued birth certificates by the authorities.
• All persons of concern have birth certificates.

The provision of individual documentation is increased.

• All people of concern have valid identity documents.

Security from violence and exploitation

The risk of gender-based violence is reduced and the quality of the response to it is improved.

• Some 90 per cent of known survivors of sexual and gender-based violence receive support.

The protection of children is strengthened.

• All out-of-school adolescents participate in targeted programmes.
• A Best Interest Determination (BID) process has been initiated or completed for all unaccompanied and separated children.

Basic needs and services

Shelter and infrastructure are established, improved and maintained.

• Some 95 per cent of households live in adequate dwellings.

The supply of potable water is increased or maintained.

• An average of 20 litres of potable water per person per day is made available.

The population lives in sufficiently sanitary and hygienic conditions.

• All camp-based refugees have adequate sanitation.

The population has optimal access to education.

• Some 15,000 refugees, or all those of concern aged 6-11 years, are enrolled in primary education.

The health of the population of concern is improved.

• The under-five mortality rate is no more than 1 per 1000 population per month.

The nutritional well-being of people of concern is improved.

• The prevalence of global acute malnutrition is reduced from 33 per cent to 5 per cent of the population.

Durable solutions

The potential for resettlement is realized.

• Some 2,400 individuals, out of an estimated 13,000 identified, are submitted for resettlement.
• All identified individuals whose cases are submitted depart for resettlement.

Strategy and activities in 2012

In line with the Global Strategic Priorities, the goal of UNHCR in Rwanda is to improve the well-being of refugees, asylum-seekers and returnees through the provision of basic needs and essential services. Voluntary repatriation will be facilitated depending on the security situation in the DRC. Other durable solutions such as local integration and resettlement will also be pursued despite the limited prospects. Furthermore, UNHCR will improve child protection through secondary school education, preventing and addressing sexual and gender-based violence and developing skills training and self-reliance projects for refugees.

UNHCR will maintain partnerships with other humanitarian agencies and facilitate the reintegration of Rwandan returnees through continued monitoring of the returnees and the implementation of the joint UNHCR/UN Country Team multi-year reintegration programme. Communications with countries of asylum on protection-related issues affecting returnees will be improved. The Office will also ensure that the needs of all people of concern are reflected in the next UN Development Assistance Framework, covering the period 2013-2017.

Owing to the political instability in the Great Lakes Region, voluntary repatriation on a large scale is not envisaged in 2012. UNHCR therefore aims to employ resettlement both as a protection tool and as a means to secure durable solutions for refugees. Vulnerable refugees and refugees identified as having limited or no prospects for local integration after more than 14 years in Rwanda will be assessed and processed for resettlement.

Constraints and challenges

The growth of refugee populations due to births and the absence of voluntary repatriation to the DRC, inhibited by the prevailing security situation in the eastern parts of that country, have led to increased congestion in the camps. The scarcity of land around the camps hampers efforts to expand them in order to improve living conditions. The lack of land, especially for agricultural purposes, also deprives the refugees of livelihood opportunities, hampering their self-sufficiency and prospects of local integration.

Organization and implementation

Coordination

UNHCR works with the Government and with four international NGOs in Rwanda. It also collaborates with WFP to provide food rations in the camps and transit centres, and with UNICEF on child protection interventions in the camps. Along with other UN agencies, it participates in the UN Country Team and in the Delivering as One initiative. UNHCR continues to participate in and co-chairs the Disaster Management Task Force.

Financial information

UNHCR's comprehensive budget for Rwanda for 2012 totals some USD 35.6 million, up slightly from USD 35.2 million in 2011. The lack of prospects for durable solutions, particularly the voluntary repatriation of DRC refugees due to security concerns in their country and limited prospects for local integration, will result in a sustained need to provide basic assistance and improve essential services -- particularly shelter, education, health care and sanitation -- in the camps.

Source: UNHCR Global Appeal 2012-2013