Persons in a refugee-like situation are “groups of persons who are outside their country or territory 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.” (UNHCR, 2013).
In Armenia, persons in a refugee-like situation have fled mainly from Syria and Nagorno Karabakh, as a result of the conflicts and armed escalations in 2016 and 2020.
UNHCR continues its response to meet the needs of persons displaced during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as supports Syrian-Armenians living in the country.
According to official figures, 91,000 individuals were displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia as a direct result of the 2020 conflict in and around Nagorno Karabakh. Around 88% of these individuals were women, children and elderly. On 9 November 2020, the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed a Statement, which subsequently ended the hostilities around Nagorno-Karabakh. Starting from 14 November 2020, the refugee-like population started to gradually return to Nagorno-Karabakh.
As of July 2021, according to UNHCR estimates, the number of persons in a refugee-like situation living in Armenia was 42,023, including 36,989 persons in a refugee-like situation as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and 4,461 Syrian-Armenian persons in a refugee-like situation, assisted by UNHCR. Most of this population resides in Yerevan, while others are residing among the hosting communities in all 10 provinces of Armenia.
UNHCR continues to respond to the needs of these displaced people in cooperation with the Government of Armenia, also in the framework of the Inter-Agency Response Plan.