India

Year-end Overview

Plan Overview

Operational environment

While India has been a generous host to refugees for many years, particularly to Sri Lankans who continue to reside in Tamil Nadu, the past two years have been marked by a shrinking of the traditional protection space offered to urban refugees. In 2019, the opportunities for engaging the government on matters pertaining to refugee protection remain limited. Nevertheless, UNHCR continues to engage key government counterparts and collaborate closely with the full range of stakeholders, including newly identified partners.
 
In 2019, India will be hosting around 41,000 mandate refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR. Rohingya and Afghan refugees will constitute the largest refugee caseload under UNHCR’s mandate, with a smaller number from the Middle East and Africa mostly residing in urban areas.

Key priorities

In 2019, UNHCR will continue to work with the UN Country Team to ensure inclusion of refugee issues in the UN Sustainable Development Framework for 2018-22. As part of this process and with individual UN agencies, UNHCR will identify key areas of joint advocacy and programming wherever possible, to ensure inclusion of refugees into existing national systems. UNHCR will explore new opportunities for collaboration and coordination with national actors including authorities, NGOs, academics, lawyers, parliamentarians, and media to consolidate support for refugees and create a platform to influence public opinion and policy in favour of refugees.