Operations

2016 Plan Summary

Providing protection and durable solutions to people of concern will continue to be UNHCR’s overarching goal in Somalia in 2016. Given the unstable and unpredictable environment that is likely to persist in the country, the approach towards solutions will remain tailored, phased and customized.
 
Special efforts will be made to support relevant Government ministries and departments with expertise, technical advice and capacity building, both at federal and regional levels in south-central Somalia, Puntland, and Somaliland, in order to help develop a national internally displaced person (IDP) and refugee policy framework.  
 
On the basis of the comprehensive solutions strategy for people of concern developed in 2015 with the Somali authorities and other international partners, UNHCR will continue to implement a series of pilot projects at different locations, to support local integration (in case of protracted IDPs), the voluntary return of refugees and IDPs, and reintegration in areas of return (enhancing self-reliance and access to basic services). This will be based on the lessons learned from: the voluntary return pilot project initiated in December 2014; the IDP returns supported by the UNHCR-led “Return Consortium”; and the IDP local integration/self-reliance pilots in Galkayo and Hargeisa. Resettlement will be used as a protection tool for refugees with specific needs and without any other prospects of a durable solution.
 
In south-central Somalia, while protracted IDP situations will begin to resolve as durable solutions are achieved, it is expected that returning Somali refugees will be the focus in 2016. Return and initial reintegration packages will be provided to reduce the risk of further displacement. Reintegration activities (e.g. livelihoods, rehabilitation of basic infrastructure) will follow a community-based approach to ensure that assistance benefit IDPs, refugee returnees as well as host populations, and that conflict over resources can be avoided. This will be done in close coordination with development actors, and UNHCR will advocate for the engagement of UN agencies, NGOs, financial institutions and others in meeting the reintegration and development needs of people of concern.
 
In Puntland and Somaliland, where the majority of refugees and asylum-seekers are located, UNHCR will continue to implement its policy on refugee protection and durable solutions in urban areas while durable solutions are being identified. Emphasis will be on registration and documentation, community outreach, sexual gender-based violence prevention and access to basic services through inclusion in national systems (e.g. health, education). Partnership with local authorities will be strengthened to promote the sustainability of all interventions.
 
Through its leadership and coordination roles for two clusters (protection and shelter/non-food items), UNHCR will maintain its capacity to respond to urgent needs and provide assistance to the most vulnerable IDPs in emergency situations.
 
As in previous years, UNHCR will maintain its capacity to track displacements and monitor returns, as well as to assess the overall protection situation in the country, through the Protection and Return Monitoring Network (PRMN). Analysis of the data will form the basis for detailed planning of UNHCR interventions.
 
Should there be a shortfall in funding, more than 80 per cent of refugee and IDP returnees would not receive a return assistance package, thus compromising the sustainability of returns. There would be a reduction in self-reliance activities for returning refugees; this would also affect the sustainability of returns and potentially trigger secondary displacement, both internally and externally. The lack of core relief items available would reduce the Office’s ability to respond to emergencies, and the PRMN would have to be redirected to cover only south-central Somalia, resulting in the risk of gaps in information about population movements and protection needs in the less accessible areas of Puntland and Somaliland.