Other plans

In 2023, UNHCR and IOM will continue co-leading the Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh and the regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP) for refugees and migrants from Venezuela. In addition, IOM will continue leading the inter-agency Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa and Yemen (MRP). The three plans cover 22 countries.

Other plans

Horn of Africa and Yemen (MRP)

Djibouti,

Ethiopia,

Somalia,

Yemen,

Southern and Eastern Africa

30 November 2022

Bangladesh , Rohingya refugee volunteers take care of trees planted in the camps to keep their community green

Rohingya (JRP)

Regional plan,

Other Plan,

Bangladesh

30 November 2022

Medellin, Colombia, A Venezuelan family receive their Temporary Protection Permits, allowing them to stay in Colombia for 10 years.

Venezuela (RMRP)

Argentina,

Aruba,

Bolivia,

Brazil,

Chile,

Costa Rica,

Curacao,

Dominican Republic,

Ecuador,

Guyana,

Mexico,

Panama,

Paraguay,

Peru,

Trinidad and Tobago,

Uruguay,

Venezuela

30 November 2022

Bangladesh has generously provided safety to Rohingya refugees from Myanmar for several decades, most notably in the aftermath of the events of August 2017. Moving into the sixth year of the crisis, the Government of Bangladesh and 59 JRP partners will continue providing critical support in an increasingly resource-strained environment, ensuring protection and assistance for Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities.

According to the Refugee and Migrant Needs Analysis published in October 2022, the vulnerability of refugees and migrants from Venezuela has increased due to the spiraling cost of living, fallout from the COVID-19 emergency, lack of documentation, the widespread irregular status of refugees and migrants, and very high unemployment rates. This has set back efforts made in previous years to rebuild their lives and integrate in host societies across the region.

Therefore, in 2023, 228 RMRP partners (including 208 civil-society actors, 46 of which are refugee- and migrant-led organizations) will continue to support host Governments in assisting refugees and migrants from Venezuela and host-community members in the region. RMRP partners will ensure the provision of balanced responses, focusing on immediate humanitarian and protection assistance, as well as interventions that bridge the humanitarian-development-peace nexus by responding to the longer-term resilience and integration needs of affected populations and host communities.

MRP partners will prioritize life-saving assistance and protection to migrants and host communities throughout the Eastern migratory route, while also addressing the root causes of migration and ensuring safe return and social cohesion among migrants and communities in the Horn of Africa and Yemen. In support of Governments’ efforts, the MRP 2023 will provide a strategic framework to ensure a whole-of-community approach, particularly in areas also impacted by the ongoing drought, which is foreseen to impact migration and host communities’ ability to support migrants along the route.

Answering to the needs of affected populations at country and regional levels, the 2023 JRP, RMRP and MRP ensure that people are at the centre of the response, while focusing on localizing their programming. These plans include cross-cutting priorities, including the incorporation of age, gender and diversity; environmental concerns and mitigation strategies; prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse; centrality of protection; the empowerment of communities; and accountability towards affected populations.

Horn of Africa and Yemen (MRP)

Current People in Need

1.4 million
Current People Targeted

1.1 million
Current Requirements ($)

84.2 million

Go to plan details

People in Need at launch (Dec. 2022)

1.4 million

People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2022)

1.0 million

Requirements (US$) at launch (Dec. 2022)

84 million

Type of appeal

Migrant Response Plan

Countries covered

Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen

Analysis of the context, crisis and needs

The Eastern Migration Route accounts for 40 per cent of all migratory movements worldwide.¹ It encompasses the movements of people travelling across the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States via Yemen. Migrants typically transit through coastal countries, either Djibouti or Somalia, to reach Yemen via boats through the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden. In the first half of 2022, over 140,000 movements along the Eastern Route were recorded, with Ethiopian and Somali nationals comprising 89 per cent and 11 per cent of arrivals in Yemen, respectively.² In terms of the reasons for leaving their country of origin, 78 per cent of surveyed migrants indicated economic reasons, while 8 per cent mentioned climatic and environmental reasons.³

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Migrant returnees register at the Government reception centre.

IOM/Safa Msehli

In 2022, arrivals to Yemen have nearly tripled compared to the same period in 2021, with over 47,000 people arriving by boat. As of August 2022, an estimated 43,000 migrants were stranded in Yemen, 950 in Djibouti and 172 in Somalia. Furthermore, from March to the end of August 2022, 71,500 migrants had been forcibly returned to Ethiopia (an average of almost 3,000 migrants per week) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.⁴ Roughly 17 per cent of forcibly returned migrants in 2022 intended to return to Tigray, and nearly 3,000 forcibly returned migrants are stranded in Addis Ababa, unable to return to their place of origin. Continued forced returns from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia are anticipated by the Migrant Response Plan (MRP), but it is unclear when operations will resume. In addition, the announcement by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to repatriate 12,000 Ethiopians from 12 countries, including Yemen and Djibouti, will worsen the overstretched services receiving returning migrants in Addis Ababa.⁵ MRP partners recorded 5,400 forced returns from Djibouti at the Dewele point of entry in northern Ethiopia from the beginning of the year to the end of September 2022.

Throughout their journey along the Eastern Route, migrants face several life-threatening situations, and they are at grave risk of exploitation and abuse. Most migrants travel long distances on the Eastern Route by foot through extreme heat, resulting in dehydration and exhaustion. Additionally, migrants are often apprehended by smugglers, border guards or militias, who often utilize violent practices. They also fall prey to migrant smugglers, who expose them to risky journeys, including kidnapping. This endangers their lives, with women and children – 32 per cent of the migrant population along the Eastern Route – being the most vulnerable to these risks and abuses.⁶ In 2022, MRP partners recorded 79 missing or dead migrants along the Eastern Route.⁷

Obock, Djibouti

Migrants walk in the desert towards Obock. With worn out sandals and only a few belongings, they walk for days without food and water. Many migrants die along the journey due to dehydration and starvation

IOM/Alexander Bee

Projected situation in 2023 and beyond

In 2023, considering 2022 migration trends, migration flows along the Eastern Route are anticipated to return to or even exceed pre-COVID-19 levels. In 2023, the number of people who need humanitarian assistance is projected to reach 1,428,234. This figure includes 458,605 migrants and 969,629 host-community members across the four countries that conform to the MRP: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen. In addition, the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa, the most severe in the last four decades, has already affected over 35 million people in the region, and future rainy seasons are anticipated to bring far lower than usual rainfall.⁸ While further research is required, the MRP foresees the drought impacting migration, particularly on host communities, who frequently interact with and support migrants along the Eastern Route.⁹ The drought is anticipated to continually deplete host communities’ resources, limiting their ability to support migrants along the Eastern Route. Moreover, the drought’s impacts on livelihoods and food security potentially drive migration in countries of origin and transit. According to OCHA, the drought is affecting 24.1 million people in Ethiopia and 7.8 million in Somalia, with 3.5 million livestock dying in Ethiopia and over 3 million dying in Somalia, severely reducing the main source of sustenance and livelihoods for people in the region.¹⁰

Hargeisa, Somalia

A young Ethiopian migrant near her home in an informal settlement.

IOM/Tobin Jones

While displacement due to drought is mostly internal, the MRP has recorded cross border movements originating from drought-affected areas across the region, which could be explained by the exacerbated challenges in the economic environment. Furthermore, between January 2021 and September 2022, 46 per cent of returnees from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were reported to originate from drought-affected areas of Ethiopia.¹¹ Although the conflict in Ethiopia is expected to end following the peace agreement reached between the warring parties, the life-saving and protection needs for returnees originating from the conflict-affected areas, who have been stranded in Addis Ababa and unable to go home, will remain high as the communities move towards transition and recovery.¹² Lastly, the continued flow of forced returns from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and from Djibouti to Ethiopia is anticipated for 2023, further worsening the humanitarian situation in the overcrowded shelters. Returns in 2022 were facilitated through a formal agreement signed between the two countries and scheduled to conclude at the end of the year. A subsequent extension is anticipated.

Response priorities in 2023

The 2023 MRP targets 1,045,832 people, including 403,295 migrants and 642,537 host-community members. In 2023, 19 MRP partners will prioritize life-saving assistance,¹³ protection,¹⁴ community-based reintegration and social-cohesion programming. MRP partners will also continue to build evidence, partnerships and coordination to enhance the response to humanitarian needs along the Eastern Route. In addition to responding to migrants’ immediate needs, addressing the root causes of migration in hotspots of migration and areas of return is also key to the response. This will include the engagement of host communities through community-based reintegration projects, social-inclusion initiatives, programmes focused on supporting mothers (community-based protection mechanisms and capacity-building), access to livelihood opportunities, hotlines for national referral mechanisms, alternatives for migration¹⁵ and safety nets. To ensure that informed, coordinated and comprehensive assistance and protection services are provided to migrants and host communities along the Eastern Route, the MRP will prioritize the collection, analysis and sharing of migration data on mobility patterns, root causes and routes, as well as migrants’ protection needs, risks and vulnerabilities. In 2023, MRP partners will also focus on capacity-building and advocacy with key Government and non-Government institutions to respond comprehensively to migrants’ needs and support long-term reintegration and community stabilization.

Rohingya (JRP)

Current People in Need

1.5 million
Current People Targeted

1.5 million
Current Requirements (US$)

$875.9 million

People in Need at launch (Dec. 2022)

1.5 million

People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2022)

1.5 million

Requirements (US$) at launch (Dec. 2022)

883 million

Type of appeal

Joint Response plan

Country covered

Bangladesh

Refugees targeted

977.8 thousand

Host community members targeted

495.4 thousand

Analysis of the context, crisis and needs

Bangladesh has generously provided safety to Rohingya refugees from Myanmar for several decades, most notably in the aftermath of the events of August 2017, during which thousands of Rohingya were forced to flee their homes due to armed attacks, massive-scale violence, targeted persecution and serious human rights violations. Moving into the sixth year of the crisis, the Government of Bangladesh and the humanitarian community are providing critical support in an increasingly resource-strained environment. The humanitarian community is committed to supporting Bangladesh in leading the humanitarian response for close to 980,000 Rohingya refugees until conditions allow for their return to Myanmar in a safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable manner, and to supporting the communities that host them. Rohingya refugees reside in 33 extremely congested camps within the Cox’s Bazar district and on the remote island of Bhasan Char, where they rely entirely on humanitarian assistance. Groups or people with specific needs, such as people with disabilities, female-headed households, and people without access to livelihood opportunities, reported the most significant unmet needs, leaving them vulnerable to negative coping strategies.

Bangladesh

A Bangladeshi volunteer works in a Bamboo Treatment Centre, providing quality shelter materials for Rohingya refugees.

ISCG/Syed Md Tafhim

Cox’s Bazar District has a total Bangladeshi population of 2,823,000, with approximately 538,000 residing in Ukhiya and Teknaf Upazila, where the refugee camps are located. Humanitarian operations have increased local employment and economic opportunities for local populations. However, the growing multifaceted needs of Rohingya refugees have compounded existing socioeconomic challenges, exacerbating pressures on public services and infrastructure. The Ukraine crisis has also negatively affected the food, energy and fiscal situation in Bangladesh, including in the communities hosting Rohingya refugees. High levels of inflation, a depreciating local currency, and price hikes for basic goods and commodities have been recorded, increasing existing vulnerabilities among people already at risk. To prevent potential tensions between communities, it is critical that support continues to be extended to vulnerable Bangladeshi communities.

Multi-Hazard Response Plan

Bangladesh

Land stabilization is essential to protect Rohingya refugees from landslides during the monsoon season.

To enhance multi-hazard preparedness and response capacities due to the particularly vulnerable locations of Rohingya refugee camps and surrounding areas, the Government of Bangladesh and humanitarian partners have stepped up their efforts to address disaster risk management, energy, and environmental issues. The Multi-Hazard Response Plan (MHRP) for the Rohingya refugee camps and surrounding host communities was developed and adopted in 2022, containing comprehensive disaster contingency planning.

In 2023, the humanitarian community in Cox’s Bazar will continue to operate under the overall framework of the MHRP. In addition, a camp level Disaster Management Committee Guideline has been developed jointly with the Government of Bangladesh and the implementation of both planning and guidance documents will be further strengthened in 2023 as a priority. Together with structural reinforcements, slope protection, and adequate drainage systems, efforts in the camps will be prioritised to mitigate the impacts of climate change, as well as support environmental rehabilitation and protection. Regular after-action reviews will serve to strengthen future emergency preparedness and response, to limit negative impacts on Rohingya communities and address immediate needs in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Projected situation in 2023 and beyond

In 2023, sustained and strengthened assistance will continue to be required in areas including food, nutrition, water, health and sanitation, education, shelter and non-food items. The enhancement of education and skills development opportunities for refugees also remains a critical priority.

The overall protection environment and living conditions in the camps and on Bhasan Char remain challenging. To mitigate these challenges, investment in quality education, including transition to the Myanmar curriculum, skills development and livelihoods will be prioritized, while also ensuring that the community is better prepared for eventual and meaningful repatriation to and reintegration in Myanmar. Addressing the specific needs of those most vulnerable, including women, girls and boys, as well as people with disabilities, will remain critical.

Over the years, Bangladesh has made immense strides to mitigate the loss of life and property due to weather-related hazards, such as cyclones and heavy monsoons, that result in landslides, flooding and a spike in communicable diseases. Nevertheless, Rohingya refugee camps and surrounding areas continue to be particularly vulnerable to monsoon floods, fires and the effects of climate change more broadly. As such, building on Bangladesh’s well-established and effective disaster response capacities, and guided by the Multi-Hazard Response Plan (MHRP) for Rohingya Refugees in Cox’s Bazar district and on Bhasan Char, activities in 2023 will strengthen disaster risk reduction and disaster risk management, which is critical to ensuring the safety of Rohingya refugees and host communities.

Following the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the Government of Bangladesh and UNHCR (on behalf of the UN) in October 2021, UN involvement on Bhasan Char aims to complement the national NGOs’ humanitarian activities under the overall coordination and consultation with the Government of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh

A volunteer from the refugee Disaster Management Unit raises awareness among his community.

ISCG/Syed Md Tafhim

Strategic objectives and sectoral priorities

Under the leadership of the Government of Bangladesh, the humanitarian community will continue to strengthen protection and assistance for Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities. Five strategic objectives will guide the response across all sectors:

Work towards the sustainable repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, focusing on developing refugees’ capacities by using the Myanmar curriculum, building skills that will support their reintegration upon return, and strengthening community-based efforts.
Strengthen the protection of Rohingya refugee women, men, girls and boys, placing affected individuals and communities at the centre of the response.
Deliver life-saving assistance to populations in need, including maintaining and rationalizing services to ensure equitable access to humanitarian assistance.
Foster the well-being of host communities, including through facilitating access to quality services, strengthening public service infrastructure and supporting livelihoods activities.
Strengthen disaster risk management by improving preparedness for multi-hazard crises and addressing the impacts of climate change within refugee camps and host communities.

A protection framework will guide the response, putting protection central to the response. The framework will mainstream protection throughout all sectors; coordinate specialized or targeted protection services for affected populations, notably the most vulnerable children, women, people with disabilities and other specific needs; and promote community-led, needs-based and participatory approaches to assistance. The humanitarian response will also be underpinned by age, gender and diversity mainstreaming, disability inclusion, a comprehensive approach to protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, and enhance community engagement and accountability to affected populations.

Venezuela (RMRP)

Current People in Need

9.2 million
Current People Targeted

3.4 million
Current Requirements (US$)

$1.72 billion

People in Need at launch (Dec. 2022)

9.3 million

People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2022)

3.4 million

Requirements (US$) at launch (Dec. 2022)

1.7 billion

Type of appeal

Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan

Countries covered

Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay

Refugees and migrants targeted

2.9 million

Host community members targeted

535 thousand

Analysis of the context, crisis and needs

In 2022, refugees and migrants from Venezuela continued to leave their home country in need of humanitarian assistance, protection and socioeconomic inclusion. By the end of 2022, there will be an estimated 6.3 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela hosted across 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).¹⁶

According to the Refugee and Migrant Needs Analysis — conducted by the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (R4V) and published in October 2022 — the spiraling costs of living, fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, lack of documentation, the widespread irregular status of refugees and migrants, and very high unemployment rates have all increased the vulnerability of refugees and migrants from Venezuela and undermined the efforts made in previous years to rebuild their lives and integrate in host societies across the region. This has led to 73.4 per cent of refugees and migrants needing assistance under the regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP).

Tapachula, Mexico

Dennys, Manuel and their family opened Los Vennez in Tapachula several years ago. They are now famous in the city for introducing Venezuelan cuisine to the community.

RV4/Diego Bravo Ramírez

The increased vulnerability of refugees and migrants from Venezuela has been compounded by the consequences of a slow and unequal post-COVID-19 economic recovery and spiralling costs of living in the LAC region. The impact on the living conditions, security, dignity and health of refugees and migrants and their host communities has been extreme. Throughout 2022, an increase in the use of dangerous irregular routes and informal border crossings was observed, particularly due to a lack of documentation, increased visa controls, irregular status, and lack of livelihoods or prospects for socioeconomic integration.¹⁷ This further exposed refugees and migrants to human trafficking risks, as well as to exploitation and abuse at the hands of smugglers, traffickers and other criminal networks.

In parallel, most refugees and migrants from Venezuela have spent several years in their host countries. As a result, their needs surpass immediate life-saving interventions, and they include access to asylum, to regularization and to social protection systems, as well as longer-term protection, self-reliance and socioeconomic integration. In response to these challenges, some host governments are making efforts to regularize refugees and migrants from Venezuela in their territories and creating opportunities for integration.

In host countries, factors such as widespread irregularity, loss of or competition for livelihoods opportunities, limited education enrolment opportunities and lack of affordable housing have contributed to increased social tensions and tested the levels of solidarity with refugees and migrants, at times resulting in incidents of xenophobia, discrimination and violence.

Cúcuta, Colombia

Andrea Victoria González, 17, in front of her house. She was in her final year of high school when her family was forced to flee Venezuela. After many setbacks to her education, Andrea hopes to finally take Colombia’s college entrance exam.

UNCHR/Hélèna Caux

Projected situation in 2023 and beyond

Increases in onward movements of refugees and migrants, especially of those previously settled in host communities, are expected to further grow in 2023. They will be met by an ongoing moderate outflow of Venezuelans from their home country, whose political, socioeconomic and human rights situation has rendered them more vulnerable than their fellow nationals who left the country in previous years.¹⁸

New migratory-control mechanisms enacted by various countries to limit the irregular flow of refugees and migrants, especially northward towards the United States since October 2022, are contributing to the complex and multidimensional movements and corresponding response requirements. These controls have led to new operational realities, requiring refugees and migrants in affected countries to consider returning to previous host countries (subject to available legal re-admission opportunities) or to their country of origin,¹⁹ where the situation is deemed as not conducive to returns, according to R4V response actors.

Strategic objectives and sectoral priorities

The new multi-year RMRP 2023-24 will bring together an unparalleled number of 228 appealing partners (an 18.7 per cent increase from 192 in 2022), including 208 civil-society actors (46 of which are refugee- and migrant-led organizations), to implement 16,556 activities to assist the situation of 3.4 million refugees and migrants²⁰ and affected host-community members. The corresponding financial requirements of the 228 partners amounts to US$1.71 billion. Detailed information on each activity’s appealing organization, geographic and thematic focus, targeted individuals (disaggregated by age/gender/population group) and financial requirements, as well as updated information on its implementation status, will be available on the Data Page of R4V.info and on the R4V Humanitarian Data Exchange. This underscores the common commitment towards transparency and accountability of R4V partners.

The response is organized across nine thematic sectors (Education, Food Security, Health, Humanitarian Transportation, Integration, Nutrition, Protection, Shelter and WASH) and three sub-sectors of the Protection Sector (Gender-Based Violence, Child Protection, and Human Trafficking & Smuggling). The RMRP 2023-24 also incorporates cross-cutting modalities (such as cash and voucher assistance) and cross-cutting themes including gender, the environment, communication with communities, accountability to affected populations, centrality of protection, and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse to ensure that these considerations are incorporated in all response activities.

Nexus in the Response

Venezuela

As the situation of refugees and migrants from Venezuela has evolved over the past years, the need to enhance the complementarity between humanitarian and development interventions for both refugees and migrants from Venezuela and their host communities has gradually increased. The extended timeframe of the RMRP, from one to two years, seeks to improve the medium/longer-term aspect of the response without losing track of the significant humanitarian needs on the ground. To ensure longer-lasting results, the concept of Humanitarian-Development Nexus (HDN) was considered throughout the planning processes, through the inclusion of initiatives which combine direct assistance and a more sustainable impact. The RMRP strives for a broader engagement of different stakeholders, including governments, international financial institutions, and private sector partnerships. The participation of refugees and migrants from Venezuela as well as affected host communities is also central to HDN. To ensure a strategic approach through all phases of the response, partners additionally aim to improve inter-sectoral complementarity and joint programming, with the intention to ensure a wider scope and continuity of the overall response.