South Asia

2015 year-end information on the South Asia subregion is presented below. A summary of this can also be downloaded in PDF format. This subregion covers the following countries:
 

Subregion: South Asia

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Latest update of camps and office locations 13  Jan  2016. By clicking on the icons on the map, additional information is displayed.

 
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Budgets and Expenditure in Subregion South Asia

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2015 {"categories":[2012,2013,2014,2015],"budget":[46.67074881,38.83990516,38.01255843,40.155756026],"expenditure":[26.37420412,21.59224672,20.09817583,21.52481164]} {"categories":[2012,2013,2014,2015],"p1":[36.20433892,30.53528496,31.38118692,30.414702728],"p2":[1.50142108,1.59597114,2.33688426,2.015722658],"p3":[1.411101,4.25807955,3.0300486,2.52347713],"p4":[7.55388781,2.45056951,1.26443865,5.20185351]} {"categories":[2012,2013,2014,2015],"p1":[20.5353762,18.64725819,18.17582881,15.66072641],"p2":[0.8580438,0.77786737,0.46339643,0.47847665],"p3":[0.623778,1.21656801,0.49188202,0.49332446],"p4":[4.35700612,0.95055315,0.96706857,4.89228412]}
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People of Concern - 2015

[["Refugees",234832],["Asylum-seekers",7105],["IDPs",44934],["Returned IDPs",8112],["Returned refugees",852],["Others of concern",384]]
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Response in 2015    

In Nepal, following the resettlement of over 101,200 refugees from Bhutan at the end of 2015, UNHCR continued to work to identified durable solutions for the remaining 17,000 refugees living in the camps. In the absence of a legal framework to process asylum claims, the operation also continued to provide assistance and protection for an urban caseload of over 500 refugees from various countries. 

In order to enhance the resilience and well-being of refugees throughout the country, including addressing their psychosocial and livelihoods needs, UNHCR continued working with implementing partners, refugee communities, and private sector partners to set-up community-based protection mechanisms and address livelihoods, education and energy needs of refugee communities. 

The overall protection environment in India for refugees and asylum-seekers remained positive throughout 2015. Refugees continued to have access to Government services such as health and education. Closer technical cooperation and continued advocacy with the Government resulted in simplified long-term visa application procedures, with a waiver of overstay fines and an easing of documentation requirements. Afghan refugees departing from India were also exempted from overstay fines. However, reliable access to public health care, birth certificates, education and SGBV prevention services remained limited outside Delhi, where an increasing number of people of concern to UNHCR are residing.

Partnerships between the Government of Sri Lanka and the UN, as well as development partners, donors, civil society and local communities were strengthened, particularly in the areas of reconciliation, land, peace and sustainable development. Positive developments on land access for returning IDP families have been noted; however, challenges remain for IDP and refugee returnees in accessing livelihood opportunities and basic services. UNHCR will focus on galvanizing more support from development actors in this area in the coming year. 

Operations

Details on UNHCR’s operations in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka are presented in separate country pages. 


Operational Environment and Strategy

India, Nepal and Sri Lanka offer asylum to a considerable number of refugees, although they are not signatories of the 1951 Refugee Convention. UNHCR cooperates with the Governments of these countries, as well as with NGOs and other stakeholders, to protect, assist and find durable solutions to refugees and other people of concern, including internally displaced people (IDPs).
 
All three countries have seen a growing number of people seeking asylum, and this trend is likely to continue in 2015. In the absence of national asylum legislation, UNHCR conducts registration and refugee status determination (RSD), and facilitates the resettlement of vulnerable groups.

Sustainable livelihoods, reliable community-support networks, and access to specialized services for people with special needs, are some of the main challenges faced by refugees in the three countries. In India, poverty is a key challenge for the majority of refugees and asylum-seekers, who may face discrimination from local communities with little understanding of refugee issues. The quality of public health and education in Nepal’s camps has been adversely affected by the departure of skilled refugee workers, who were resettled.

While the three Governments have adopted various approaches to deal with the different refugee populations in their countries, UNHCR fills the gaps in terms of protection, assistance and durable solutions. It focuses on the most vulnerable.
 
Through stronger partnerships with the various Governments, UNHCR aims to enhance asylum space, including by: identifying opportunities for local integration; improving livelihoods for urban refugees; ensuring the smooth voluntary return of refugees from India to Sri Lanka, and possibly Myanmar; identifying other durable solutions for refugees from Bhutan; supporting a sustainable return for those internally displaced in Sri Lanka, something that is expected to be facilitated by access to land in the north; and ensuring the expeditious resettlement of vulnerable refugees, for whom voluntary return to their countries or local integration is not possible. 

Response and Implementation

In India, UNHCR will continue to build on the positive understanding it has with the Government regarding refugee issues. It will review opportunities to: incrementally provide direct refugee protection; share biometric data; run regular training sessions on RSD processes; and include particularly vulnerable refugees in government social welfare schemes. The Office will continue to expand its outreach to the Indian public and engage more prominently with new civil society actors, in order to increase refugee access to urban support mechanisms.

In Nepal, the Office will continue the resettlement of refugees from Bhutan and, in close cooperation with other concerned Governments, search for other durable solutions for families remaining in camps.

In Sri Lanka, UNHCR will enhance its capacity to conduct RSD and resettlement submissions, as the only durable solution available to refugees. It will seek access to all asylum-seekers and effective protection for them by the Government. 

2015 Budget and Expenditure in South Asia | USD

Operation Pillar 1
Refugee programme
Pillar 2
Stateless programme
Pillar 3
Reintegration projects
Pillar 4
IDP projects
Total
India Budget
Expenditure
14,612,301
6,058,437
101,898
80,624
0
0
0
0
14,714,199
6,139,060
Nepal Budget
Expenditure
9,528,129
5,723,655
1,794,026
351,813
2,523,477
493,324
3,933,464
3,689,704
17,779,095
10,258,497
Sri Lanka Budget
Expenditure
6,274,273
3,878,635
119,799
46,040
0
0
1,268,390
1,202,580
7,662,461
5,127,254
Total Budget
Expenditure
30,414,703
15,660,726
2,015,723
478,477
2,523,477
493,324
5,201,854
4,892,284
40,155,756
21,524,812

2015 Voluntary Contributions to South Asia | USD

Earmarking / Donor Pillar 1
Refugee programme
Pillar 2
Stateless programme
Pillar 4
IDP projects
All
pillars
Total
South Asia overall
United States of America 0004,900,000 4,900,000
South Asia overall subtotal 0004,900,000 4,900,000
Nepal
Canada 000393,391 393,391
European Union 278,315000 278,315
Japan 000166,778 166,778
Private donors in Australia 00448,6390 448,639
Private donors in Canada 31,2380200,6870 231,925
Private donors in China 00463,3700 463,370
Private donors in France 00660 66
Private donors in Germany 224,972224,97200 449,944
Private donors in Greece 003320 332
Private donors in Italy 27,5340630,6570 658,191
Private donors in Japan 11,1550487,116102,071 600,342
Private donors in Kazakhstan 0030,0000 30,000
Private donors in Kuwait 009930 993
Private donors in Philippines 006,2500 6,250
Private donors in Portugal 0066,3720 66,372
Private donors in Romania 2,765000 2,765
Private donors in Saudi Arabia 00200,0000 200,000
Private donors in Singapore 00100,0000 100,000
Private donors in Spain 43,4770685,2920 728,769
Private donors in Sweden 260163,3180 163,344
Private donors in Switzerland 0067,5290 67,529
Private donors in Thailand 2,300046,5420 48,842
Private donors in the Republic of Korea 15,9210151,9220 167,843
Private donors in the United Arab Emirates 006,8530 6,853
Private donors in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 6,25201,8380 8,090
Private donors in the United States of America 8,1230480,6290 488,752
Nepal subtotal 652,079224,9724,238,405662,240 5,777,695
Sri Lanka
Canada 000196,696 196,696
UN Peacebuilding Fund 00678,1120 678,112
United States of America 000500,000 500,000
Sri Lanka subtotal 00678,112696,696 1,374,808
Total 652,079224,9724,916,5176,258,935 12,052,503
Note: Includes indirect support costs that are recovered from contributions to Pillars 3 and 4, supplementary budgets and the “New or additional activities – mandate-related” (NAM) Reserve.