Zambia

2012 UNHCR country operations profile - Zambia

Working environment

The context

Zambia has a long tradition of hosting refugees that predates its independence. Today, asylum-seekers fleeing persecution, generalized violence and armed conflict continue to arrive in the country, while others have benefited from opportunities for voluntary repatriation. In March 2011 there were more than 48,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in Zambia, mainly from Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Somalia. Some 28,000 reside in the two refugee settlements of Mayukwayukwa and Meheba. Others reside in urban or rural areas. Some new mixed migration movements to and through Zambia have also been observed: several groups from the Horn of Africa have been intercepted at borders and within the country.

While Zambia is generally hospitable towards refugees and asylum-seekers, the dearth of possibilities for local integration makes it very difficult to promote self-reliance among refugees, and end their long-standing dependence on humanitarian assistance. Of the 34,000 refugees registered in the settlements or urban areas, 47 per cent were born in Zambia, while 12 per cent entered Zambia more than 15 years ago. Although this provides a good case for local integration, the Government would like to see more refugees returning home before authorising local integration for a small residual refugee population.

The needs

Basic services and mechanisms are in place to address the main needs of the refugee population, but the quality of assistance in certain areas is below standard. This is due both to a lack of capacity of the different actors involved, and to the general environment in which the refugees are accommodated. The assistance provided nevertheless often exceeds the standards enjoyed by nationals in similar settings.

The reporting of sexual and gender-based violence cases remains low due to stigma, corruption and fear of intimidation and reprisals, despite ongoing information campaigns and the establishment of drop-in and health information centres. The prevailing gender inequality, poverty and a lack of human rights awareness are the major contributing factors.

Child protection is a priority in view of the high prevalence of early marriages, teenage pregnancies, sexual harassment of girls in school, survival sex and insufficient alternative care arrangements for unaccompanied children. Awareness-training on children's rights has been conducted and a Best Interest Detetermination (BID) procedure established. Nonetheless, confidential reporting, referral mechanisms and systematic monitoring and identification of children at risk needs to be improved. School attendance rates have been raised by a school feeding programme. However, adolescents still lack access to secondary and tertiary education, skills training and recreational activities, putting them at heightened risk of sexual and gender-based violence, and of contracting HIV.

As a result of the implementation of a gender quota and intensive campaigns encouraging women to register, more than 30 per cent of elected representatives in the Meheba refugee settlement are now women. However, greater efforts are needed to engage refugees in the settlements in creating a community-based, secure and protective environment, as decades of dependence on humanitarian aid have weakened the sense of initiative among refugees. Indeed, despite policies promoting self-reliance, there are refugees in all locations who depend on UNHCR for food aid, domestic items, education and health care. In both Mayukawayukwa and Meheba settlements, the protection of refugees with specific needs has been highlighted as an issue of great concern in participatory assessments, and in the Dialogue with Refugee Women organized by UNHCR in April 2011.

Main objectives and targets for 2012

Fair protection processes and documentation

The quality of registration and profiling is improved or maintained.

• All registration staff are trained.
• About 80 per cent of registration data is updated.
• All refugees in settlements and some 85 per cent of urban refugees are individually registered.

Favourable protection environment

Laws and policies are developed or strengthened.

• Advocacy is conducted to ensure that laws and policies are in line with international standards and contain protection safeguards.
• Legal materials related to the implementation of revised laws are produced and disseminated, assessment and analysis undertaken and expert assistance provided.

Security from violence and exploitation

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

• All known survivors of sexual violence receive support, and 90 per cent receive appropriate clinical care.
• A safe house is established.
• Counselling sessions are arranged for some 550 survivors.
• Legal assistance is provided to some 50 survivors.
• Secure and confidential reporting mechanisms are established.

Basic needs and services

Services for people with specific needs are strengthened.

• Some 2,200 people with specific needs receive support.

Durable solutions

The potential for voluntary return is realized.

• Information sessions are organized to enable all people of concern to make informed decisions on return.
• Some 7,500 people receive return packages.
• About 15,000 people are reached by mass-information campaigns.

The potential for integration is realized.

• A local integration strategy is established and endorsed by all stakeholders.
• Some 5,000 residence permits are issued to people of concern.

Strategy and activities in 2012

In 2012 and 2013, UNHCR will search for solutions for Angolans and Rwandans whose refugee status will cease at the end of 2011, facilitating the voluntary return of former refugees who did not repatriate, failed to qualify for local integration or were found not eligible for exemption from the cessation of their refugee status.

Where local integration is feasible for some of the Angolan refugees, UNHCR will support integration projects that benefit both eligible Angolans and their hosting communities. The Zambian Government will receive support in implementing a fair and efficient exemption procedure, mainly for Rwandan refugees. UNHCR will also help Rwandans to obtain work and study permits, in order to remain in Zambia.

In anticipation of the cessation of refugee status for Burundians, UNHCR will promote voluntary repatriation, advocate for local integration or seek an alternative status for refugees with acquired rights.

UNHCR will provide legal and technical advice to support the development of the asylum system, including a proposed appeals body. The increase in claims for refugee status under the 1951 Refugee Convention calls for additional capacity among decision-makers responsible for refugee status determination (RSD). Under a joint project with IOM, UNHCR will also support the Government in ensuring refugee protection in the context of mixed migration, particularly in its response to the increasing number of Somalis arriving in mixed migratory flows.

To strengthen the protection of women and children, UNHCR will support community monitoring mechanisms and confidential reporting procedures, human rights education, the economic independence of women, improved access to justice through mobile courts and legal aid. It will also develop strategies for better protection during reintegration.

Refugees with specific needs, such as children at risk, will be identified through the ProGres registration software and community outreach, and benefit from targeted protection interventions. The data collected in ProGres during the 2010 re-registration exercise will be used for durable solutions planning and interventions, including the identification of refugees willing to return. It will also support interventions on behalf of refugees married to Zambian nationals and of children eligible for Zambian citizenship. Resettlement will be used as a durable solution for refugees with specific protection needs, such as women at risk.

Constraints

The Zambian Government's ongoing review of legislation on local integration has given rise to reservations with regard to this option. Furthermore, Zambia's encampment policy and restrictions on refugees' right to work hinder protection in urban areas. An estimated 10,000 recognized refugees live in these areas without being registered in ProGres, and lack the required residence permit, civil status documentation or equal access to services. These refugees, particularly women and children, are at heightened risk of exploitation and abuse.

Organization and implementation

There will only be 3 offices in the country, including in Lusaka. UNHCR's presence in the north of the country has been phased out, following the voluntary repatriation of refugees to the DRC (Katanga Province).

Coordination

In 2012, UNHCR will continue to liaise closely with other UN agencies on issues of common interest. It will strive to broaden its base of protection and solutions partners to include more human rights organizations, such as the National Human Rights Commission, and NGOs. Development agencies will be involved in the implementation of local integration, especially in the elaboration of social-integration projects and capacity-building efforts targeting host communities.

Partnership with the Zambian Government will be maintained through close collaboration with the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees, provincial and district joint operations committees, and line ministries involved in service delivery in the settlements. In the event of possible local integration, increased collaboration with a wider range of political structures at both the national and provincial level will be required. UNHCR will endeavour to identify organizations specializing in the provision of legal aid, child protection and community services in order to cover areas that cannot be dealt with by current partners.

Financial information

UNHCR's budget in Zambia declined significantly after the repatriation to Angola reached its peak in 2006. The requirements grew again in 2008 as a result of emergency preparedness activities in response to the situation in Zimbabwe. In 2009, the budget grew significantly as Zambia was one of the pilot countries for the global needs assessment initiative. Part of the funding was used to address protection gaps and to support repatriation movements to the DRC. The 2010 budget was reduced to USD 11.4 million, reflecting the significant reduction in the refugee population in the country through the organized repatriation of Congolese refugees to the DRC and assisted spontaneous returns to Angola.

The 2011 budget for Zambia increased by 24 per cent in comparison to 2010, mainly to support the comprehensive strategy for Angolan refugees. The 2012 budget amounts to USD 17.9 million, which includes a significant sum for voluntary repatriation and local integration.

Source: UNHCR Global Appeal 2012-2013

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