East Asia and the Pacific
2015 year-end information on the East Asia and the Pacific subregion is presented below. A summary of this can also be downloaded in PDF format. This subregion covers the following countries:
| Australia | China (including Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions) | Japan | New Zealand | Pacific Island States | Papua New Guinea | Republic of Korea |
Subregion: East Asia and the Pacific
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Budgets and Expenditure in Subregion East Asia and the Pacific
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2015
{"categories":[2012,2013,2014,2015],"budget":[16.525354207,15.34539986,13.85213814,12.377742098],"expenditure":[13.07280675,11.15261125,10.32652066,9.14630248]}
{"categories":[2012,2013,2014,2015],"p1":[16.141246217,14.93738811,13.55410589,11.951996448],"p2":[0.38410799,0.40801175,0.29803225,0.42574565],"p3":[null,null,null,null],"p4":[null,null,null,null]}
{"categories":[2012,2013,2014,2015],"p1":[12.80539421,10.8423443,10.04318131,8.86550122],"p2":[0.26741254,0.31026695,0.28333935,0.28080126],"p3":[null,null,null,null],"p4":[null,null,null,null]}
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People of Concern - 2015
[["Refugees",348838],["Refugee-like situation",4581],["Asylum-seekers",43884],["Returned refugees",1],["Stateless",801],["Others of concern",1]]Loading ...
Response in 2015
UNHCR’s Regional Office in Australia focused on preserving and strengthening the asylum space in its immediate region, including by monitoring Australian and New Zealand admissibility and eligibility procedures, so as to ensure access to fair and efficient refugee status determination (RSD) procedures. UNHCR monitored policy and practice regarding detention in Australia and in the offshore processing centres, sharing observations and recommendations with relevant key counterparts.In the Pacific Island States, notably Papua New Guinea and Nauru, UNHCR sought to maintain positive momentum in capacity building; develop effective processes to create a favourable protection environment for refugees; facilitate durable solutions for West Papuan refugees; and strengthen the capacities of government and NGO partners to provide effective protection and assistance to non-Melanesian asylum-seekers and refugees.
UNHCR promoted public awareness of asylum and refugee protection issues to prevent further erosion of public support for refugees and asylum-seekers.
Mainland China is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention; however there is no national asylum procedure in place. UNHCR was therefore solely responsible for providing assistance and protection, and searching for durable solutions for refugees. While the introduction of the Unified Screening Mechanism (USM) in Hong Kong SAR in 2014 provided some level of protection for people of concern, the number of those awaiting decisions grew rapidly. In Macao SAR, UNHCR continued to provide technical assistance in resolving pending asylum cases.
In Japan, the number of asylum-seekers continued to rise, reaching approximately 7,590, which placed significant stress on the existing RSD system. Due to lack of sufficient resources, UNHCR was limited in its ability to support the Government’s efforts to process and manage increasing numbers of asylum applications.
In the Republic of Korea, the asylum system was under strain, with increasing public concerns about security and terrorism which resulted in restrictive measures on asylum-seekers, particularly at ports of entry. The asylum system remained fragile and vulnerable to public fear and the increasing number of asylum applications. Asylum-seekers and, to a lesser extent, recognized refugees, faced significant barriers in day-to-day living and long term integration.
Operations
In September 2015, the Governments of Australia and New Zealand announced an additional 12,000 and 600 resettlement places for Syrian refugees respectively. An agreement was also signed between UNHCR and the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection for a three-year capacity-building project (2015-2017) covering 14 Pacific Island States, to develop protection-sensitive and solutions-orientated approaches to forced migration and sustainable protection frameworks.UNHCR’s Regional Office in Canberra provided training and technical support for the registration, regularization of refugee status, and naturalization of West Papuan (Indonesia) refugees in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Over 2,720 individuals were registered, including some 2,300 people with pathways to citizenship who will be processed by the PNG Citizenship Advisory Committee.
The Office focused on enhancing protection through direct implementation in mainland China, and providing technical support for established protection mechanisms in Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions (SAR). UNHCR registered some 460 people of concern and resettled over 70 refugees in the mainland. UNHCR provided technical support to enhance protection through both the Unified Screening Mechanism (USM) in Hong Kong SAR and the government-instituted asylum procedures in Macao SAR. Strategic partnerships were forged with civil society organizations to promote protection-centred approaches to protection and assistance.
UNHCR continued to strengthen partnership with Japan in order to identify solutions for refugees worldwide. UNHCR continued to provide technical advice and capacity-building training for the Government of Japan in support of their efforts to process increasing numbers of asylum applications. The Office also continued to foster relationships with its main private sector partner, Japan for UNHCR (J4U) in order to broader support for UNHCR throughout the country. Japan received approximately 20 Myanmarese refugees from Malaysia as part of the formal resettlement programme, following a five year pilot.
The Republic of Korea accepted and received over 20 Myanmarese refugees from Thailand as part of its new resettlement pilot programme and will continue to accept further refugees in the coming years.
Operational Environment and Strategy
Mixed flows of urban asylum-seekers and migrants from South-West Asia, the Middle East and Africa continue to be the main trend of the subregion.The central challenge for UNHCR is to assist States in shaping responses that balance concerns for border and migration control with the protection of asylum-seekers’ rights.
The organization is pursuing dialogue with all relevant actors to foster regional cooperation rather than unilateral deterrence measures, to avoid people of concern being rejected at the border; the detention of asylum-seekers; and the development of restrictive asylum policies.
In Australia, restrictive policy changes introduced previously were further reinforced by the coalition Government, elected in September 2013.
The new Government reduced the humanitarian programme from 20,000 resettlement places in the fiscal year 2012-2013 to 13,750 places in 2014-2015, of which 6,000 are expected to be available for UNHCR-referred refugees. In September 2014, Australia and Cambodia signed a memorandum of understanding for the relocation of recognized refugees from Nauru to Cambodia.
In New Zealand, the overall climate for refugee protection remained positive, with a modest but well-managed resettlement programme and consistent financial support. However, legislation to deter boat arrivals came into force in 2013.
In Papua New Guinea, there have been positive steps toward integrating West Papuan refugees, including the announcement that the citizenship fee will be waived. A clearer legal basis for refugee protection is also in the process of being drafted in the new Migration Act.
Pacific Island Countries are strengthening collaboration around border management and are gradually accommodating refugee protection into laws, policies and activities, while UNHCR continues to process the small number of asylum-seekers who move into the region.
China is becoming a transit and destination country for mixed migration as a result of its geographical and economic importance. The operational environments in mainland China, and the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions (SARs) continue to be at variance.
In Hong Kong SAR, China, a unified screening mechanism (USM) to assess claims for protection against refoulement before executing removal orders became operational in March. As a result, UNHCR has ceased its asylum-screening procedures and refocused on providing the authorities with capacity-building assistance and closely monitoring USM implementation.
Macao SAR, China, is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and is implementing refugee legislation through a refugees’ commission, in consultation with UNHCR.
In Japan, the Ministry of Justice has established a sub-committee to review the country’s asylum system, which is expected to introduce measures to improve the system’s fairness and efficiency. UNHCR provides technical advice to the committee and will participate in drawing up the final recommendations. Following completion of a pilot phase, the Government has decided to start a formal resettlement programme in 2015.
The asylum system in the Republic of Korea is relatively recent. UNHCR is thus helping to build national capacity with executive, judiciary and legislative bodies, as well as with the public and civil society organizations.
Response and Implementation
In Australia and New Zealand, UNHCR will monitor decision-making processes, and use diplomatic and public advocacy to focus on preserving the non-discriminatory implementation of asylum, irrespective of how asylum-seekers arrive. The aims are to improve admission to RSD procedures, pursue alternatives to detention and expand the search for durable solutions.In Papua New Guinea, UNHCR will facilitate durable solutions for West Papuan refugees, especially local integration, and will support the capacity of government and NGO partners to provide effective protection and assistance to non-Melanesian asylum-seekers and refugees.
Meanwhile States in the Pacific Island Countries, will receive UNHCR support to introduce protection safeguards in immigration procedures and establish and/or reinforce RSD capacity through training.
In China, UNHCR will continue to balance the direct delivery of protection and assistance services to asylum-seekers and refugees with a move to providing greater advocacy and technical support for central and provincial authorities. The aim is to gradually capacitate the latter to take over responsibility for registration, asylum processing and of the realization of durable solutions for those needing international protection.
In Hong Kong SAR, China, UNHCR will monitor the unified screening mechanism, provide technical support to the authorities and help find durable solutions. Public awareness will accompany successful fund raising activities.
In Japan, UNHCR’s refugee protection activities will support the authorities in refocusing their reception, RSD and local integration mechanisms, including by following up on the recommendations of the sub-committee on asylum.
In the Republic of Korea, the Office will advocate better access to the asylum system and social services for the approximately 6,000 refugees and asylum-seekers. UNHCR will also support the Government’s efforts to prepare for a resettlement programme.
2015 Budget and Expenditure in East Asia and the Pacific | USD
| Operation | Pillar 1 Refugee programme |
Pillar 2 Stateless programme |
Pillar 3 Reintegration projects |
Pillar 4 IDP projects |
Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia Regional Office | Budget Expenditure | 1,976,522 1,574,036 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 1,976,522 1,574,036 |
| China | Budget Expenditure | 3,951,597 3,275,575 | 188,448 126,110 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 4,140,045 3,401,685 |
| Japan | Budget Expenditure | 3,401,262 2,624,294 | 68,584 54,686 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 3,469,847 2,678,980 |
| Republic of Korea | Budget Expenditure | 1,993,552 1,167,971 | 168,714 100,006 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 2,162,266 1,267,977 |
| Regional activities | Budget Expenditure | 629,062 223,625 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 629,062 223,625 |
| Total | Budget Expenditure | 11,951,996 8,865,501 | 425,746 280,801 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 12,377,742 9,146,302 |
2015 Voluntary Contributions to East Asia and the Pacific | USD
| Earmarking / Donor | Pillar 1 Refugee programme |
All pillars |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Asia and the Pacific overall | |||
| United States of America | 0 | 1,800,000 | 1,800,000 |
| East Asia and the Pacific overall subtotal | 0 | 1,800,000 | 1,800,000 |
| Australia Regional Office | |||
| Australia | 185,826 | 0 | 185,826 |
| Australia Regional Office subtotal | 185,826 | 0 | 185,826 |
| China | |||
| China | 0 | 141,841 | 141,841 |
| China subtotal | 0 | 141,841 | 141,841 |
| Japan | |||
| Private donors in Japan | 74,771 | 0 | 74,771 |
| Japan subtotal | 74,771 | 0 | 74,771 |
| Total | 260,597 | 1,941,841 | 2,202,438 |