Operations

Operational context and population trends

Presidential and parliamentary election in 2015 brought to power a new Government in Sri Lanka. The new Government committed to address the durable solution needs of the remaining IDP population, as well as returning Sri Lankan refugees. As an immediate step, the Government released portions of land (High Security Zones and Economic Zones) in the North and East, enabling the resettlement of more than 2,500 IDP families. In 2015, UNHCR noted a marginal increase in the number of IDP and refugee returnees interested in returning to their areas of origin, and in anticipation of continued Government support, the number of refugee returnees is expected to increase in 2016. Planned activities in 2016 have been designed strategically to take into consideration UNHCR’s disengagement from IDP-related interventions by the end of the year.  

In 2015, Sri Lanka continued to provide access to people seeking asylum. In the latter half of 2015, UNHCR observed an increase in the number of arrivals in the country and will continue to monitor the situation. 

UNHCR will continue to encourage the Government to ratify both Statelessness Conventions. According to estimates, around 30,000 Sri Lankan refugees living in India lack citizenship. In 2016, UNHCR will conduct a study to assess the remaining number of individuals who are either stateless or who lack the necessary citizenship documentation. 

In 2015:

• On average, 40 asylum-seekers arrived in Sri Lanka on a monthly basis, increasing sharply to an average of 60 in the second half of the year;
• In total, 474 individuals were registered as of mid-December;
• 630 asylum-seekers and 780 refugees received protection and assistance services; 
• Resettlement departures were confirmed for 322 individuals and 433 individuals were submitted for resettlement by the end of November;
• 3,817 IDPs and IDP returnees (1,026 families) were assisted through various interventions (i.e. livelihoods, land, housing and property assistance, etc.); 
• A total of 452 individuals (207 families) returned from India through UNHCR’s voluntary repatriation programme.

Key priorities in 2016

• Strengthen UNHCR’s collaboration with key government counterparts, the UN Country Team and development actors to ensure timely interventions, maintain the protection space and ensure reintegration support to the remaining IDPs through development agencies;
• Continue to support the comprehensive durable solutions strategy for the resettlement and reintegration of IDPs in cooperation with the Ministry of Resettlement;
• Support the return of 600-1,200 refugees who wish to return to Sri Lanka, in coordination with relevant line ministries;
• Continue to strengthen the capacity of government counterparts (national, legal and administrative institutions) on land, housing, property and documentation issues as part of the resettlement and reintegration strategy;
• Provide education assistance to 150 primary school age refugee children, 90 secondary school age refugee children (to be enrolled in English language classes), as well as monthly monetary assistance to 1,200 refugees;
• Train relevant government officials, service providers and other stakeholders to raise awareness and bolster their technical capacity in relation to people of concern;
• Pursue protection monitoring and other protection interventions, including strengthening the overall SGBV prevention and response mechanisms;
• Commission a study to validate and assess the situation for the remaining individuals at risk of statelessness;
• Continue enhancing the protection space and durable solutions for urban-based asylum-seekers and refugees through advocacy, registration, documentation, RSD and resettlement interventions by applying community and age, gender and diversity (AGD) based approaches.