Chad

Content of this page:

1. Description of the refugee situation

2. Chad's response to the refugee situation

3. Steps towards meeting the objectives of the Compact in Chad

1. Description of refugee situation

Where does the population of concern live?

Mostly in camps.

Find live data, information and fact sheets on the refugee situation in Chad on the UNHCR Operational Portal as well as UNHCR Global Focus. 

2. Chad's response to the refugee situation

The Republic of Chad announced its formal application of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) in May 2018, through a letter signed by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Public Security and Local Governance. Four months later, in September, the Government of Chad – in partnership with the United Nations, donor countries and technical and financial partners – officially launched the CRRF at a national symposium. An action plan was adopted to guide the implementation of the CRRF and the Global Compact on Refugees. It includes the following areas of work:

• Out of Camp Strategy: 65% of new arrived refugees from Central African Republic were placed directly in hosting villages. 

• Alternative to camps. The national agency for refugees (la Commission Nationale d’Accueil et de Réinsertion des Réfugiés et des Rapatriés, CNARR in short) launched the process of villagisation. This was done through a pilot phase whereby refugee groups in the three camps of Amboko, Gondje and Djabal were moved to host communities to live alongside them.

• Integrated Education: 108 schools and 10 vocational and training centre, which had been built in refugee’s camps, were integrated in the National Education System.

• Integrated health: Refugees were included in the national health system following an agreement signed by the Ministry of Health and UNHCR.

Partnerships in the refugee response

A list of partners involved:

• Ministries: Ministry of Administration and Territory, Ministry of Economy and Development Pacification, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Secondary Education, Ministry for Vocational Training, Ministry of Health, Ministry for Child Protection.

• Other Government: Chad's National Commission for the Reception and Reintegration of Refugees and Returnees (CNARR), Cellule Filets Sociaux (CFS).

• Local authorities at different levels: Province, Prefecture, Sub- Prefecture Prefect.

• Traditional Territorial Chiefs.

• UN agencies: UNDP, WFP, FAO, UNICEF, UNESCO. A number of memoranda of understanding were signed, or are underway, between UNHCR and these Agencies to facilitate the inclusion of refugees in their planning.

• Development Actors: World Bank, GIZ, AFD, EU Delegation, TIKA. Drafts MoUs with GIZ, UNESCO and FAO are underway to facilitate the inclusion of refugees in their planning.

• Humanitarian actors: ECHO, Swiss Cooperation, DFID.

• International NGOs in the DIZA consortium: Concern Worldwide, FLM, ACRA, Caritas Suisse, Solidarités International, Swisscontact.

• National NGOs in the DIZA consortium: APLFT, ATURAD, AJRPS, IHDL, Belacd Caritas Sarh, PARCEC.

Which partnerships have been strengthened or have been made possible thanks to the implementation of the Global Compact of Refugees?

Relationships among the following UN Agencies have been strengthened through action plans for a coordinated response to the refugee situation: UNDP, WFP, and UNICEF.   

Development actors are also involved in building resilience in areas that host refugees, namely the World Bank, the EU Delegation, the French Development Agency AFD, and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, TIKA. In particular, the World Bank funds the Refugees and Host Communities Support Project called PARCA. The EU and the AFD finance the Inclusive Development programme in Reception Areas (Programme de Développement Inclusif des Zones d'Accueil, DIZA). These projects aim at improving access of refugees and host communities to basic services, livelihoods, and safety nets, and to strengthen country systems to manage refugees.

Other non-transactional partnerships were consolidated with AFD for the inclusion of refugees and host population in health and education programmes and with the NGO BASE, for the inclusion of refuges and host communities in the treatment of Tuberculosis and HIV. 

3. Steps towards meeting the objectives of the Compact in Chad

Summary of the Refugee Compact in action in Chad

Objective 1: To ease the pressures on countries that host large numbers of refugees 

• Education
  • 108 schools and 10 vocational training centers, located in 19 camps and refugee sites across the country have become official Chadian schools. This landmark measure enables refugee children to study alongside Chadian students;  
  • Chadian teachers were appointed to work in these schools;  
  • 12 agreements were signed with Public and Private Universities in order to include refugees within their systems 
• Tackling statelessness
  • Decision of the President of the Republic of Chad to issue free birth certificates for an estimated of 120,000 refugee children. In application of that decision, about 60% of birth certificates have been issued to date. 
• Health
  • Signature of an agreement between the Government and UNHCR for the integration of health centers that are located in 19 camps and refugee sites across the country into the national health system. 
• Partnership with development actors 
  • Efforts have been made to strengthen non-transactional and strategic partnerships in favour of initiatives that promote the development of refugee hosting areas through the following programmes:
    • The World Bank’s International Development Association sub-window (IDA 18) provides US$60 million funding to the PARCA project for 2019. An assessment from the World Bank is ongoing with a view to extend the project with an additional US$75 million; the project proposal will be presented for approval in June 2020.
    • The AFD joined the European Union to support the Inclusive Development of Hosting Areas project, called DIZA (“Programme de Développement Inclusif des Zones d'Accueil”), totalling €21.5 million to date
    • TIKA is building a water supply system for the use and benefit of both refugees and host communities alike.
    • The AFD has launched three initiatives in the health sector that include refugees and host population.
    • The Swiss Cooperation Agency, together with the AFD, has launched an education programme that includes refugees and host population. 

Objective 2: To enhance refugee self-reliance 

• More than 200,000 refugees have received arable land to live and farm on. 

• The ’out-of-camp strategy’ and villagisation is in progress in three refugee camps 

Objective 3: To expand access to third-country solutions

• The Government of Chad and partners is working with the Government of France to assign scholarships in higher education for refugees. Four scholarships for Masters Degrees were granted for two-year Masters in 2018/2020, and five were granted for 2019/2021. 

• An increased resettlement quota for France is envisaged in the context of mixed movements 

Objective 4: To support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity  

• Strengthened partnership with the Government of Sudan supported the repatriation of 3,824 Sudanese refugees to Sudan in 2018/2019

• Similarly, this partnership enabled the voluntary return of 6,046 Chadians refugees from Sudan between 2017 and 2019.

Pledges and contributions made by Chad

Pledges and contributions dashboard (interactive by Area of Focus)

This dashboard includes all pledges and contributions made towards the implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees in Chad, including national pledges made by the Government of Chad itself.

For more specific information about projects in Chad please visit the Good Practices page.