Liberia

2012 UNHCR country operations profile - Liberia

Working environment

The context

While security has improved in Liberia, slowly recovering from years of civil war, the country still suffers from widespread poverty and underdevelopment, with growing fears that the volatile situation in neighbouring Côte d'Ivoire could spill over the border.

After several years of gradually downsizing its operations in Liberia, UNHCR has had to step up its presence significantly in 2011, in order to provide emergency protection and assistance to more than 180,000 refugees from Côte d'Ivoire who crossed the border to escape renewed conflict in their country. The majority of these new refugees have been granted prima facie status by the Liberian Government, and are hosted in camps and relocation villages along the border. In line with its mandate, UNHCR leads the humanitarian intervention in coordination with the Government, other UN agencies and NGOs. The Office also seeks durable solutions for these refugees and, in this respect, a tripartite agreement was signed in August 2011 with the Governments of Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire on the voluntary repatriation of Ivorian refugees.

UNHCR is also committed to supporting the former Sierra Leonean refugees who chose to remain in Liberia, following the invocation of the cessation clauses with respect to this group. Likewise, the application by mid-2012 of the cessation clauses to Liberian refugees, will require special attention to the needs of those who will return from neighbouring countries, as the lack of livelihood opportunities in their areas of origin could hinder their reintegration.

The needs

Refugees in Liberia require assistance to meet all their basic needs, including food, water, health, shelter and education. Community-based programmes and access to durable solutions will also constitute priorities for 2012, as will livelihood support to aid the reintegration of returning Liberians. Ivorian refugees looking for durable solutions in Liberia will also need help towards their local integration through livelihood training. Others will need assistance towards their voluntary repatriation.

Main objectives and targets for 2012

Fair protection processes and documentation

The quality of registration is improved or maintained.

• All people of concern are registered on an individual basis.

Basic needs and services

Shelter and infrastructure are established, improved and maintained.

• All households live in adequate dwellings.

Optimal access to education is guaranteed.

• All refugees between six and 11 years of age are enrolled in primary education.

Community participation and self-management

Self-Reliance and livelihood support are improved.

• Some 12,500 Liberian returnees are provided with vocational training.
• Approximately 5,000 Liberian returnees receive conditional grants to start businesses.

Durable solutions

The potential for voluntary return is realized.

• Some 90 per cent of refugees who will repatriate are able to make an informed choice about return.
• Approximately 15,000 Liberian returnees are provided with safe transport.

Strategy and activities in 2012

UNHCR will continue to provide assistance to Ivorian refugees who arrived in Liberia following the violence that erupted in Côte d'Ivoire in late 2010. Camp-based refugees will receive all basic services, adequate shelter and assistance, along with longer-term shelter material and maintenance toolkits. UNHCR will also strive to maintain road networks in order to ensure proper access to refugee populations throughout the year. Ensuring optimal access to primary and secondary education will be a priority, requiring the construction of additional educational facilities.

Switching from emergency relief to longer-term assistance with a focus on durable solutions will be at the heart of UNHCR's strategy in Liberia. These solutions will mainly focus on local integration through education, vocational training and livelihood opportunities for Ivorian refugees staying in Liberia. Further to the tripartite agreement signed in August 2011 with the Governments of Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire on the voluntary repatriation of Ivorian refugees, UNHCR will assist the return of those Ivorian refugees willing to do so. In particular, cross-border coordination mechanisms will be established and refugees will be briefed regularly on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire in order to allow them to make an informed decision on their repatriation.

UNHCR will also give priority to urban refugees, with the objective to increase access to basic services such as health, education and livelihoods. Efforts will continue in particular to complete the local integration programme for former Sierra Leonean refugees.

In light of the planned invocation of the cessation clause for Liberian refugees in mid-2012, UNHCR will continue to assist the return of Liberians wishing to repatriate with transportation grants and livelihood programmes. UNHCR will also continue to work with the Government of Liberia and other governments in the region to find appropriate solutions for those Liberian refugees who wish to remain in their host countries, including with the provision of civil documentation.

UNHCR will continue to play an active role within the UN Country Team and the humanitarian community, fulfilling its mandate in leading the refugee response and ensuring wider awareness of the plight of refugees. UNHCR will also support targeted inter-agency and civil processes, including peacebuilding and the transition to development activities, in order to promote the integration and well-being of all populations of concern.

Constraints

Persisting pockets of insecurity in Côte d'Ivoire will continue to risk affecting Liberia, particularly the prospects of voluntary repatriation of Ivorian refugees. Logistical challenges in Liberia also hinder access to people of concern. The border region, where the majority of refugees are staying, is underdeveloped and has very poor infrastructure. In addition, the heavy rains from May to October hamper transportation. The lack of economic opportunities is another major obstacle to the reintegration of Liberian returnees, as well as to the local integration of refugees.

Organization and implementation

Coordination

UNHCR coordinates its humanitarian interventions with the Liberian Government, and in particular the Liberian Refugee, Repatriation and Resettlement Commission. In 2012, UNHCR will continue to coordinate and provide leadership and guidance for the multi-sector response to the Ivorian refugee emergency, which has brought together UN agencies as well as international and national NGOs.

Financial information

UNHCR's financial requirements in Liberia for 2012 will amount to some USD 69 million, taking account of the shift from emergency response to longer-term solutions for Ivorian refugees, as well as an increase in the number of returning Liberians ahead of the forthcoming invocation of the cessation clause. The figure is below the 2011 budget of over USD 90 million that included USD 79 million for the emergency. Before the situation in Côte d'Ivoire resulted in a subregional emergency requiring supplementary budgets, UNHCR's financial needs had been decreasing since 2007, in line with the planned exit strategy after the peak of the Liberian repatriation in 2006.

Source: UNHCR Global Appeal 2012-2013

UNHCR contact information