Operations

752	Number of personnel (international and national)
17	Number of offices
USD 140.5 Mio	Overall funding requirements (ExCom-approved 2016 budget)

A. Operational Environment and Strategy​

The protection space in the subregion varies considerably from one country to another. Three States in the subregion (Cambodia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste) are parties to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and one State (the Philippines) is a party to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons.

In 2016, UNHCR's protection strategies in South-East Asia will focus on the establishment of protection-sensitive responses to mixed movements, including improving access to asylum and promoting alternatives to detention. Where conditions allow, traditional durable solutions will be pursued alongside labour options and temporary stay arrangements. UNHCR is also working at the regional level with governments and partners to put systems in place for rescue at sea and safe and predictable disembarkation.

In its efforts to address and prevent statelessness, UNHCR will continue its engagement with regional bodies and initiatives, including efforts to improve rates of civil registration.

In addition, UNHCR will work to strengthen its engagement with two important regional mechanisms: the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime (Bali Process).

B. Response and Implementation

Operations in Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand are presented in separate country chapters. For other countries where UNHCR operates in the subregion, please see below.

In Bangladesh, UNHCR is pursuing activities set out in its joint Proposals for Action, with UNODC and IOM, in response to mixed movements in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The Office will continue to protect and assist the registered refugee population, and will also endeavour to increase support to the large numbers of undocumented people from Myanmar in Bangladesh.

In Cambodia and Timor-Leste, UNHCR will continue to assist the Governments in managing and their national asylum systems, including by supporting status determination processes.

In Indonesia, UNHCR will continue to undertake registration and refugee status determination. The Office will also continue to advocate for improved access to asylum, appropriate treatment of refugees and asylum-seekers, with a focus on the protection of children, and alternatives to detention.

In Mongolia, UNHCR will continue to undertake mandate refugee status determination and pursue durable solutions for people of concern.

In the Philippines, UNHCR will concentrate its efforts on core mandate activities for refugees and stateless people by supporting the Government, which has demonstrated strong leadership in both areas.

With 40 per cent of the world’s documented stateless persons living in Asia and the Pacific, UNHCR will further step up its efforts to identify stateless people and reduce statelessness. National strategies will be implemented in priority countries, including Bangladesh, the Philippines and Viet Nam.