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ECHO Factsheet – Refugees and internally displaced persons – 2014

European Commission – Humanitarian aid and CivilProtection:

B-1049 Brussels, Belgium

Tel.: (+32 2) 295 44 00Fax: (+32 2) 295 45 72e-mail:echo-info@ec.europa.eu

Website:http://ec.europa.eu/echo

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Facts & Figures

51.2 million people areforcibly displacedworldwide:

16.7 million refugees,

33.3 million internallydisplaced 1.2 millionseeking asylum.

Largest sources ofrefugees: Afghanistan, Syria,Somalia, Sudan andthe DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

Source: UNHCR GlobalTrends 2013

ECHO funding

Over €546 million tohelp forcibly displacedpopulation in 2013.

ECHO assistedrefugees and IDPs in33 countries in 2013.

80 % of refugee populations are comprised of children, women and elderly people. They are the most vulnerable groups inany society and therefore at greater risk in times of civil unrest or natural disasters. UNHCR/F. Noy, Chad, 2011

Key messages

The current unprecedented level of displacement calls for furthermobilisation of humanitarian assistance worldwide.

Refugees are at the heart of the European Commission'shumanitarian mandate as they are among the most vulnerable groupsin situations of crises. European Commission mobilises a significant part ofits humanitarian aid budget to projects which support refugees and otherforcibly displaced populations.

Humanitarian aid strives to uphold basic human rights and to protectadults and children against violence, abuse and exploitation, especiallywomen and girls through protection and advocacy activities.

More than 75% of the world's refugees are trapped in protractedsituations and often have little prospects of a durable solution. TheEuropean Commission advocates and enables durable solutions forrefugees, especially with regard to fulfilling the right of return to theircountries of origin or habitual residence.

Almost two third of the world's refugees now live in urban areas. Responding to their needs requires a different approach to those residingin a refugee camp, so the European Commission adapts its assistance totheir specific needs.

Refugees and internally displaced personsECHO FACTSHEET

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Major needs and related problems

Conflicts, violence, human rights violations but also natural disasters are forcing millions of people to leave theirhomes and to flee from destruction and persecution. The large majority of today's refugees live in the developingworld, which means that they find refuge in countries and among people who already struggle with poverty andhardship. Their survival usually depends on the availability of assistance which is provided by local communitiesand international organisations.

There are over 51 million people in dire need of protection and assistance as a consequence of forceddisplacement. They include refugees 1 , internally displaced persons (IDPs) 2 and asylum-seekers 3 . Globally,over 33 million people are internally displaced, compared to more than 16 million refugees and over 1 million asylum-seekers (source: UNHCR Global Trends 2013).

According to the latest UNHCR data, half of the global refugee population are children, the highest proportion in 10years.

Women and girls represent 49% of the entire refugee population. In many societies, they face specific risks andare less likely than men and boys to have access to their rights, due to their gender roles and position in society.In situations of displacement, these risks – particularly discrimination and sexual and gender-based violence – canbe exacerbated. Unaccompanied women and girls, women heads of households and pregnant, disabled or olderwomen may face particular challenges.

Finding durable solutions for refugees is a challenge and includes voluntary repatriation to their home countries,which is the preferred long-term outcome for the majority of refugees. While some of the displaced populations areable to return home, the lack of political solutions in their home country prevents many more from coming backand millions may stay in these protracted situations for several years and in some extreme cases generations.

Another solution is local integration or resettlement of refugees. This can happen either in the country where theyare living or in third countries where they can be permanently resettled. Sustainable solutions for IDPs can be:return to their place of origin, local integration in areas where they have taken refuge or integration in anotherpart of the country.

At present, Afghanistan and Syria remain the largest source of refugees, both with an estimated 2.5 millionrefugees, followed by Somalia , Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo . Around four-fifths of the world'srefugees flee to neighbouring countries such as Pakistan , Iran, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey (source: UNHCR

Global Trends 2013).In absence of durable solutions, those staying internally displaced (IDPs) or in refugee camps face majorchallenges in terms of protection, access to shelter, food and other basic services such as health, nutrition, water,sanitation, hygiene and education. Those who end up living in urban areas (IDP's, refugees) may encounterpoverty, lack of psycho-social support and difficulties in normalising their status. Violence, abuse and exploitationagainst the most vulnerable often peak in the aftermath of emergencies, which underlines the importance ofeffective protection mechanisms to be put in place immediately.

The patterns of displacement are increasingly complex, as large numbers of migrants flow inside and betweencountries and regions. Their problems, and the burden on host countries, are worsened by climate change,increasing urbanisation, population growth and food insecurity. At the same time, the efforts of the humanitariancommunity to bring relief and contribute to lasting solutions are made more difficult by donors' budgetary

constraints.

1 A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her home country and is unable or unwilling to return due to fear of

persecution. The 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees gives refugees legal protection under the internationalrefugee law. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated to respond to refugee needs.

2 An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who was forced to flee his/her home but who did not cross a state border.

IDPs benefit from the legal protection of international human rights law and, in armed conflict, international humanitarian law.

3

'Asylum-seekers' are those who have made a claim that they are refugees and are in the process of waiting for it to beaccepted or rejected. 'Stateless' people are not considered as a national by any state ('de jure') or don't enjoy fundamentalrights in their homeland ('de facto'). [source: UNHCR]

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The European Union's Response

Funding

The European Commission allocated more than €546 million or some 42% of its annual humanitarian aid budget in2013 to projects assisting refugees and IDPs in 33 countries.

Humanitarian aid for refugees delivered by the European Commission helps to:

meet the most pressing needs of refugees; protect and support refugees during their displacement and when returning to their place of origin; increase the self-reliance of refugees and reduce their 'dependency syndrome'.

An estimated 75% of the world's refugees are currently trapped in protracted situations. ECHO invests heavily inassisting them and is currently responding to crises such as: Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan, Somalirefugees in Kenya and Yemen, Congolese refugees in the Great Lake region, Colombian refugees in Ecuador andVenezuela, Myanmar refugees in Thailand, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and Sahrawi refugees.

The European Commission and its partner organisations, in particular UNHCR, have an important role in advocatingfor and enabling durable solutions for refugees, especially with regard to fulfilling the right of return to theircountries of origin or habitual residence. The European Commission recognises that refugees require targeted

humanitarian aid combined with sustainable development assistance for effectively responding to their needs,including economic aspects. In this regard, the presence of refugees and other forced migrants can result in newopportunities and benefits for the national and local economy as they bring human capital, labour skills, demandfor goods and services. Measures to harness the potential of refugees to drive development can not only benefithost countries, but also contribute to enhancing the quality of refugees' protection in strengthening their self-reliance. In this respect European Commission services are working closely to ensure that complimentary fundinginstruments work towards enhancing self-reliance, livelihoods and socio-economic opportunities of these vulnerablepopulations.

The Commission focuses its support on organisations dealing with migrants, refugees and IDPs. ECHO's mainpartners include UNHCR, the International Organisation for Migration, the Red Cross and Red Crescent family andnon-governmental organisations.

While supporting the victims of displacement, the European Commission is also working to decrease the numberand scale of refugee crises: for instance, through its work on disaster preparedness and prevention, which aims toreduce the vulnerability of disadvantaged communities and prevent their displacement.

Examples of the projects on Refugees

The humanitarian consequences of the crisis in Syria have reached an unprecedented scale. Around 10million Syrians are internally displaced or are living as refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Egyptand North Africa. Many of those who were able to reach the neighbouring countries are now living inhardship; struggling to find shelter and food for their families and schooling for their children. To supportthe Syrian refugees and their host-communities, European Commission has since the beginning of the crisisallocated over 55% of its total humanitar ian funding of €615 million to the neighbouring countries hostinglarge numbers of refugees. EU humanitarian assistance channelled through the European Commission'sHumanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) primarily supports life-saving medical emergencyresponses, the provision of essential drugs, food and nutritional items, safe water, sanitation and hygiene(WASH), shelter, distribution of basic non-food items and protection programmes. This funding ischannelled through UN agencies and accredited international humanitarian organisations to meet the needsof the most vulnerable people.

Afghanistan is currently the country of origin for the largest number of refugees in the world.A major part of this population arrived in Iran and Pakistan during the communist, Mujahidinand Taliban times (1979 to 2001). Pakistan continues to host the largest number of Afghanrefugees (around 1.6 million registered refugees), and Iran hosts over 850 000 Afghanrefugees. In addition, 4 million refugees have returned from Pakistan and Iran between 1992to 1997 and more than 5.7 million individuals have voluntarily repatriated to Afghanistan in

the last 10 years. The European Commission is providing funding to UNHCR and other partnersto support the voluntary and sustainable repatriation of Afghan refugees and other durablesolutions where conditions are not conducive to return. This is done through information

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dissemination, education, health and protection services, livelihood initiatives via vocational training and cash-based programmes,and more broadly by sustaining the preservation of the protection and asylum space in hosting communities.

The small towns of Kentzou, Garoua-Boulai and Ngaoui in Eastern Cameroon havebeen overrun by people seeking refuge from the violence and looting in CentralAfrican Republic . Some families have travelled all the way from Bangui, in busesor trucks, while others left their villages on foot. From one day to another,thousands of people found themselves stranded out in the open. Following ECHO'sassessment mission in early February 2014, the European Commission has decidedto support partners in order to improve the reception of refugees and organize theirre-settlement to more appropriate sites. The refugees are also being provided withemergency shelter, non-food items, health care, food and water.

Colombia is the second country with more internally displaced people after Syria, withclose to 5.4 million. According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, almost 396 000Colombians are in need of international protection in neighbouring Ecuador andVenezuela. There are thousands of pending asylum cases awaiting resolution. Theconflict continues to inflict forced recruitment, sexual violence, murder,disappearances, restriction of movements and lack of access to healthcare upon

civilians. In 2013, the European Commission's contribution to people affected by theconflict totalled €13 million, with aid focused on providing protection, food aid, healthcare, water and sanitation. ECHO aid targets the areas most affected by the conflict,where there is limited government presence. © ECHO/Andrea Lamount

Refugees from Myanmar have lived for almost three decades in nine camps along theborder with Thailand, making it one of the world's longest protracted crises. Currentlythe camp population is around 120 000. The European Union has been an importantdonor to these camps since 1995, channelling €113 million through ECHO. Its supporthas always been basic humanitarian aid, i.e. food assistance, primary health care andprotection. The EU promotes durable solutions; for instance, through an ongoing projectwith UNHCR, profiling of the camp population has been carried out in preparation of

future voluntary return to Myanmar. © ECHO/Mathias Eick

M'bera, amidst the arid plains of eastern Mauritania , is the largest Malianrefugee camp in the Sahel region. Around 59 000 refugees who fled northernMali during different stages of the conflict continue to rely on humanitarianassistance to satisfy their most basic needs such as shelter, food, water andnutrition care. ECHO supports the work of UNICEF and the NGOs OXFAM-Intermon, Solidarités and Action Contre la Faim in these sectors. Malnutritionrates in the camp have been brought down and a sufficient supply of waterhas been guaranteed. Given the camp's isolated location in an unsafe region,ECHO also funds the UN Humanitarian Air Service to transport humanitarianworkers to and from the camp.