Regional Refugee Response Plans

Regional Refugee Response Plans (RRPs) are developed with a regional perspective under the leadership and coordination of UNHCR.

In 2023, UNHCR will continue working with a wide range of partners to implement five Regional Refugee Response Plans (RRPs) that support host governments to protect and assist refugees as well as the communities receiving them. These will include Regional Plans for refugees from Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Sudan and Ukraine. In addition, UNHCR and UNDP will continue to co-lead the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan in response to the Syria crisis (3RP). In total, these regional plans cover 32 countries.

Regional Refugee Response Plans

Implementing the Refugee Coordination Model, RRPs provide a transparent, predictable and inclusive platform to develop comprehensive and solutions-driven responses to emergencies and more protracted situations. In the spirit of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), RRPs underline national leadership and can serve as a basis for transitioning from short-term to medium- to longer-term planning. In this vein, over the last few years RRPs have focused more on development from the start and fostering stronger linkages with development partners and peace actors. This is a concerted effort to boost progress towards realizing the Sustainable Development Goals and the “Leave No One Behind” pledge. Partnerships with financial institutions and the private sector enable RRPs to assist governments to answer to immediate needs while initiating longer-term solutions and addressing the root causes of crises. A key area of focus is localization and exploring how local partners, including organizations led by refugees, can be further empowered.

Bulgaria

Natalia (left) poses with her two daughters and grandchildren. They are refugees from Ukraine and will live in a flat in Varna, Bulgaria.

UNHCR/Dobrin Kashavelov

Emphasizing that diversity and inclusion are an asset to refugee responses, the 2023 RRPs will promote the strong engagement of a wide range of partners. These include UN agencies, international and national non-governmental organizations, civil-society actors as well as local organizations, many of which are refugee- and women-led, as well as faith-based organizations. Localizing the response is key to the successful implementation of RRPs and is aligned with the whole-of-society approach underpinning the GCR.

The plans will also strive to ensure that strategic decisions and commitments are made with the people we serve, enabling the meaningful participation of refugees and others for whom we work. Making RRP partners accountable to affected populations is a core element of each plan. Partners will work to make sure that the voices of women and girls are heard, and that they can influence decisions and programmes that impact them.

Wau, South Sudan

A women’s farming community group.

UNHCR/Charlotte Hallqvist

In 2023, RRP partners will focus on protection. Partners will implement activities to ensure that refugees and host communities live in safe environments, reducing the threats they face, minimizing their exposure to them and increasing their capacity to cope. RRP partners will concentrate on vulnerable people, including marginalized population groups within the refugee community, to address specific rights, needs and disabilities.

The 2023 RRPs will also continue to integrate and respond to socioeconomic needs that have been caused or exacerbated by conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and the rising cost of living, namely for situations where underlying vulnerabilities were already pervasive.

Programming is made through an integrated age, gender and diversity mainstreaming approach. A greater understanding of the dynamics of climate change on displacement will help partners to upscale interventions aimed at reducing the impact and help governments to protect displaced people who are exposed to climate-induced disasters and promote environmental sustainability. Measures to prevent, mitigate and respond to the risks of sexual exploitation and abuse as well as sexual harassment will be prioritized and integrated in all sector programmes, in line with inter-agency commitments. While in-kind assistance will continue where appropriate, cash assistance will be a priority modality across various sectors, allowing refugees to choose how to meet their own needs. Maintaining social cohesion remains an essential part of each regional response.

Afghanistan (RRP)

People in Need at launch (Dec. 2022)

7.9 million

People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2022)

7.9 million

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

619 million

Type of appeal

Refugee Response Plan

Countries covered

Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Islamic of Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan

Refugees, Afghans in refugee-like situations and Afghans of other status targeted

4.3 million

Host community members targeted

3.6 million

Analysis of context, crisis and needs

Since the start of 2021, according to government estimates, some 1.25 million Afghans arrived in neighbouring host countries due to the continued deteriorating humanitarian, economic and human rights situation inside Afghanistan. This is despite borders being tightly managed, with many Afghans making their way informally through unofficial border-crossing points. In parallel, voluntary return dropped off significantly in 2020 and 2021 (some 3,500 across the two-year period). 2022 showed a very slight increase, with some 5,000 Afghans returning as of end-October 2022, but still minimal.

In host countries, inflation has increased the cost of rent and basic commodities which, coupled with limited livelihood opportunities, has eroded purchasing power and severely impacted vulnerable refugee and host-community populations’ ability to afford basic goods and services. In Iran, food prices increased by over 50 per cent between May 2021 and May 2022. Global inflationary pressures play a significant role in this respect – Russia and Ukraine account for approximately 60 per cent of Iran’s supply of staples such as wheat, sunflower oil and corn. Total annual inflation in Iran has now exceeded 35 per cent for a third consecutive year, with the headline inflation rate reaching its highest level for a decade. In Pakistan, inflation reached 27 per cent in August 2022, its highest level since 1975. Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are also impacted by global inflation and supply chain issues. Climate-induced disasters continue to impact affected populations in host countries, as evident in Pakistan, where the recent devastating floods affected 33 million people and displaced half a million. Forty-one of the “calamity-hit” districts host an estimated 800,000 Afghan refugees, with two thirds of these people hosted in just four districts.

Iran

An Afghan refugee woman works at home during the COVID-19 pandemic with her daughter’s help. Afghan refugees in Iran showed great resilience during the pandemic despite the hardships caused by the economic situation.

UNHCR/Zahra Nazari

Projected situation in 2023 and beyond

A steady flow of new arrivals in countries bordering Afghanistan is expected in 2023, including via unofficial border crossings. Combined with arrivals since 2021 and large in situ populations, this will continue to place a significant burden on host countries. Voluntary returns to Afghanistan will likely continue on a small scale. For 2023, it is expected that Afghan populations, including new arrivals, will remain in need of support, exacerbated by the difficult economic situation in host countries. This will include protection, humanitarian assistance and support to public services, which have generously been opened to these individuals, while continued advocacy will be made for socioeconomic inclusion wherever possible. Host communities also need significant support, and investments in infrastructure require major attention, since they continue to support large Afghan populations, particularly in areas including education, health care, water networks, waste management and energy.

Strategic objectives and sectoral priorities

Acknowledging the huge contributions of host countries, the 2023 Afghanistan Regional Response Plan (RRP) reaffirms the regional multi-stakeholder and multisectoral approach aimed to strengthen the humanitarian and development response in support of host governments. As well as building community resilience, the RRP intends to deliver concrete actions, with a focus on community-based interventions incorporating an age, gender and diversity approach, cross-border collaboration, and durable solutions within the framework of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR). As such, the regional overview, country plans and sector strategies will have a two-year outlook to give a longer-term perspective, with budgets and monitoring frameworks being updated yearly. The Regional Strategic Objectives of the 2023 Afghanistan Situation RRP are to:

Ensure coordinated efforts in line with the objectives of the SSAR.¹ Anchored in government systems wherever possible, the response aims to take an area-based and needs-based approach to build resilient communities, including through investments in key areas of national infrastructure, such as education and health, and by supporting livelihoods for Afghans and host communities in urban areas and settlements.
Support host governments to ensure access to territory, asylum and protection in accordance with international standards, including respect for the principle of non-refoulement, admission, reception, registration and documentation.
Ensure that immediate and longer-term needs are addressed through nexus programming by reinforcing the local and national systems of host countries, which have supported Afghans for decades, in the spirit of international responsibility and burden-sharing in line with the Global Compact on Refugees. In doing so, the Plan will pay particular attention to the needs of children, youth, women, older persons, persons with disabilities and other people with specific needs.
Respond to the basic needs of the most vulnerable people, including by sustained support to government-led emergency preparedness efforts, and through multisectoral support to swiftly respond to people newly displaced by conflict, climate-induced disasters and other crises, as well as to existing populations who have seen their situation deteriorate due to the rising cost of living.

Saranan refugee village, Pakistan

Girls playing during recess.

UNHCR/Mercury Transformations

Since the Afghanistan RRP’s launch at the onset of the crisis last year, the number of partners increased from 11 in 2021 to over 60 in 2023 across the five countries. This underlines the importance and impetus behind the response across the humanitarian community, and across a range of development actors.

Accountability to affected populations will be mainstreamed across the RRP 2023 response, with participatory assessments conducted whenever feasible, feedback and complaint mechanisms put in place, as well as community outreach, awareness-raising campaigns and home visits to ensure that communities are meaningfully and continuously involved in decision-making. Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) is an integral part of the RRP in 2023. Inter-agency networks and PSEA mechanisms will be strengthened in host countries, including the establishment of safe reporting channels, codes of conduct and standard operating procedures to address PSEA incidents. Capacity-building of humanitarian actors, local authorities, host communities and affected populations will also be prioritized.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (RRP)

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)

639 million

Type of appeal

Refugee Response Plan

Countries covered

Angola, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, The United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

Refugees targeted

910.6 thousand

Host community members targeted

584.6 thousand

Analysis of the context, crisis and needs

Wracked by decades of conflict, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the most complex and long-standing humanitarian crises in Africa. The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, with violent intersecting conflicts forcing people to flee their homes. This has resulted in tragic loss of life, widespread gender-based violence (GBV), particularly against women and girls, protection risks for the most vulnerable people, and the destruction of communities. The situation is exacerbated by disease outbreaks and climate-induced disasters. As of July 2022, some 5.5 million people were displaced within the country, and 1 million refugees from the DRC had sought asylum, mostly in Africa, with the majority hosted in Angola, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.

In 2023, newly displaced refugees and asylum-seekers from the DRC will require urgent protection and basic assistance, while those in long-term situations – many having been hosted in their asylum countries for decades – will remain in need of durable solutions and humanitarian support.

In many host countries, refugee settlements and camps have reached or exceeded capacity; the available basic services are stretched to their limits, including those for affected members of host communities. Food insecurity remains a growing concern, with prices of basic necessities rising due to the impacts of the conflict in Ukraine. As a result of these challenges, refugees and host communities struggle to afford food and basic services. The situation is worsened by the food ration reductions in camps and settlements due to funding challenges, causing refugees to resort to harmful coping strategies.

Incidents of discrimination in refugee-hosting countries are continuously reported. This highlights the need to intensify work on social cohesion and peaceful coexistence, improve accountability, address prejudice, and include refugees and host communities in decision-making.

Tanzania

Congolese refugee students at the Nyarugusu refugee camp await the start of their final exams after missing the 2021 exam cycle.

UNHCR/Maimuna Mtengela

Projected situation in 2023 and beyond

Within this fragile socio-economic context, severe food insecurity, continuous instability characterized by serious threats from armed groups, intercommunal violence, development challenges, as well as unpredictability around the upcoming elections in the DRC scheduled in 2023, the underlying drivers of displacement in the DRC are expected to persist in 2023, with continued outflows of refugees from the DRC in neighboring countries.

Throughout 2023, most refugees from the DRC are expected to remain in their countries of asylum. Prospects for voluntary repatriation have improved, with limited numbers of refugees returning home in 2022 – a total of 6,786 (refugees from Haut-Katanga and Tanganyika Provinces living in Zambia, and those from Kasai region living in Angola). It is anticipated that a similarly low number will voluntarily repatriate in 2023, mainly from Angola, Republic of the Congo and Zambia, if conditions allow for a safe and dignified return. Resettlement remains a limited option due to the lack of available spaces. Therefore, local socioeconomic integration prevails as the most appropriate solution for most Congolese refugees.

Host countries have demonstrated commitment to maintaining open borders for asylum-seekers, and refugees from the DRC are expected to continue benefiting from international protection in 2023. Some host countries – Uganda being a key example – have adopted policies allowing refugees’ freedom of movement and the right to work (right to establish a business, own property and access national services, enhancing their opportunities to engage in the local economy). Other countries have pledged to strengthen asylum and enhance refugee protection and solutions. These enabling environments promote resilience and increased self-reliance.

In contrast, other host countries continue to impose restrictions on freedom of movement and the right to work, land and property rights, and access to education and justice. The DRC Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) partners will continue to advocate for these restrictions to be lifted, and for the adoption of policies in the spirit of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) that mirror good practices in the region, such as the commitments by the Southern African Development Community to improve refugee protection.

Uganda

Sarah Mukamana, 40, came to Uganda from the Congolese border town of Bunagana with her husband and seven children. She explained: “One of our children is sick, so we will wait for her to get better. Then we go back, because we left our things in the house.”

UNHCR/Esther Ruth Mbabazi

Strategic objectives and sectoral priorities

In the spirit of the GCR and in line with the Refugee Coordination Model, host governments will provide protection and assistance to refugees and ensure a comprehensive refugee response with the support of 68 DRC Regional RRP partners. The RRP will complement the host governments’ responses by providing protection, multisectoral assistance, self-reliance and social cohesion activities, and durable solutions for more than 1.5 million people, including close to 911,000 refugees from the DRC and 585,000 people in host communities. Led by UNHCR, the 2023 DRC Regional RRP has an inter-agency financial requirement of US$639 million for activities in Angola, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.

Democratic Republic of the Congo Regional - Angola

Lôvua settlement, Angola

Refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo sell food at the market.

UNHCR/Lina Ferreira

More specifically, Regional RRP partners will engage with governments to maintain equal and unhindered access to asylum and international protection while promoting full enjoyment of rights. Partners will ensure attention is paid to age, gender and diversity considerations, accountability to affected people, and prevention for sexual exploitation and abuse. Emergency assistance will be provided for new arrivals, while access to basic services for long-term populations in need will be ensured. Where possible, responses will be anchored in national systems, development plans, multi-year strategies and regional frameworks. Partners will also seek to promote refugees’ and vulnerable host communities’ economic self-reliance to reduce dependency on humanitarian assistance, and to promote socioeconomic inclusion and access to rights in line with national development plans. Social cohesion and peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities will be encouraged through self-reliance and resilience programmes, with particular focus on youth and women-led initiatives and empowerment. Lastly, policies and conditions that facilitate durable solutions will be promoted through voluntary repatriation for refugees wishing to return home, resettlement for those who qualify, and local integration for those who lack the prospect of return. While a regional approach is pursued, the exact scale and scope of activities towards durable solutions may vary according to the context of each country response plan.

South Sudan (RRP)

People in Need at launch (Dec. 2022)

4.1 million

People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2022)

3.9 million

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

1.3 billion

Type of appeal

Refugee Response Plan

Countries covered

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda

Refugees targeted

2 million

Host community members targeted

1.9 million

Analysis of the context, crisis and needs

In 2022, South Sudan remains the largest displacement crisis in Africa, with 4 million people forcibly displaced. A total of 2.3 million people live as refugees and asylum-seekers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. The South Sudanese refugee displacement is characterized by pendular movements. Between January and September 2022, the neighbouring countries received over 95,000 South Sudanese refugees. In the same period, more than 150,000 South Sudanese refugees spontaneously returned home.²

The national-level conflict in South Sudan was relatively stable in 2022, but peace and security remain fragile. Widespread intercommunal violence and human rights abuses at the subnational level were endemic. There are also concerns with the slow security sector, constitutional and electoral reforms, and transitional justice. South Sudan has not had a general election since its independence in 2011. Elections were more recently rescheduled for 2024.

"Pockets of Hope"

“Pockets of Hope” is an area-based collaboration between returning refugees, their communities, government, and partners to ensure access to basic services, create sustainable livelihood opportunities, and promote economic self-reliance in areas of return in South Sudan.

Achievements to date include the construction and rehabilitation of schools, hospitals, and government infrastructure; and the establishment of farming co-operatives, sustainable livelihood initiatives, and vocational training programmes in the areas of return.

Please visit www.unhcr.org/the-pockets-of-hope-initiative to find out more about these projects and ways you can contribute.

UNHCR/Charlotte Hallqvist

The DRC, Ethiopia and Sudan, which host 55 per cent of South Sudanese refugees, have delicate security and peace processes characterized by tensions, conflict and displacement. Most South Sudanese refugees and their host communities live in remote areas with limited infrastructure and inadequate access to national services. Notwithstanding, South Sudanese refugees enjoy prima facie status in the neighbouring countries and increasingly progressive refugee policies. In Uganda, the refugee policy provides for the integration of refugees in social and economic services, as does the Kenya Refugee Act.

The countries covered by the Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) for South Sudan are still suffering from the long-term economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with increased poverty, inflation, currency devaluations, and rising fuel and food commodities prices. This is being worsened by the region’s accelerating climate crisis. South Sudan has suffered four consecutive years of extreme flooding, resulting in severe food insecurity. Ethiopia and Kenya are undergoing drought-related food insecurity, set to worsen in 2023.

Through the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), the country attained a level of political stabilization, which has presented opportunities to support sustainable reintegration for those refugees choosing to return on their own. Several high-return areas have been identified as “Pockets of Hope”³ for further investment.

Gumuz Region, Ethiopia

UNHCR and partners rush life-saving aid to more than 20,000 refugees after they fled clashes in Ethiopia’s Benishangul Gumuz Region.

UNHCR/Adelina Gomez

Projected situation in 2023 and beyond

The Government of South Sudan is expected to continue facilitating solutions for displaced communities by implementing the National Framework for Return, Reintegration and Relocation of Displaced Persons, and the initiative led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on durable solutions. Spontaneous returns of refugees are expected to grow, making it imperative to build on the momentum of reintegration.

However, the implementation of the R-ARCSS has been slow. It has been extended to 2025, including the general elections being pushed from 2023 to 2024. There is potential for violence and, coupled with serious food insecurity, a high possibility for ongoing refugee outflows from South Sudan, even as others may decide to return. The high numbers of South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya are likely to be sustained, yet these hosting countries are also projected to suffer increasing food insecurity into 2023. Therefore, humanitarian and development assistance will be critical to support basic services, food security and livelihoods for refugees and their hosting communities.

Strategic objectives and sectoral priorities

The 2023 Regional RRP for South Sudan outlines the multi-agency response strategy and financial requirements of US$1.34 billion for 105 humanitarian and development actors, including civil society, to support the host governments to meet the critical needs of more than 2 million South Sudanese refugees in the five main asylum countries. The Plan also outlines assistance to over 1.9 million affected members of the host communities.

The focus of the RRP in the countries of asylum will cover the following:

Enhancing protection and the realization of the rights of South Sudanese refugees and asylum-seekers through improved identity management, strengthened national asylum systems, and regional approaches.
Providing quality, efficient and timely multisectoral assistance to address the priorities and needs of South Sudanese refugees and their hosting communities through the coordinated delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance, with an increased focus on building self-reliance and resilience.
Promoting the inclusion of South Sudanese refugees and asylum-seekers into national education, health and economic systems through strategic engagement with governments, the private sector, regional bodies and development actors. RRP partners will provide multi-agency advocacy and support to strengthen the capacity of national structures.
Coordinating with national and regional structures, including leveraging the IGAD Support Platform to mobilize international support for solutions from the outset of displacement and through a strengthened humanitarian-peace-development nexus.
Strengthening accountability to the affected populations; the prevention and mitigation of and response to gender-based violence; protection from sexual exploitation and abuse; and child protection, including birth registration.

The Plan also includes actions to mitigate the environmental impact of hosting refugees. While in-kind assistance will continue, cash assistance will be a priority modality across various sectors.

Syrian Arab Republic (3RP)

People in Need at launch (Dec. 2022)

15.9 million

People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2022)

13.5 million

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

5.4 billion

Type of appeal

Refugee Response Plan

Countries covered

Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt

Refugees targeted

7.4 million

Host community members targeted

6.1 million

Analysis of the context, crisis, and needs

In 2023, the Syria crisis will enter its twelfth year, still being one of the world’s largest refugee crises, with over 7.4 million Syrians living in Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt — the five countries covered by the Syria Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP). Many of these refugees have been displaced for more than a decade, and the protracted nature of the crisis has had a significant impact on public services and infrastructure in host countries, including housing, education, health care, waste management, water and sanitation.

Socioeconomic conditions in host countries have been further impacted by multiple compounding crises: the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, climate change, and political and economic challenges in some of the 3RP countries. Recent assessments show that poverty rates have significantly increased⁴ among refugees and host communities. The slight economic growth seen in certain countries in 2021 following the pandemic has slowed and is expected to continue to do so in 2023. The Ukraine crisis has contributed to increased food and energy prices across the region, with Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt particularly impacted owing to their high dependency on wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine. In Lebanon, where high inflation, currency devaluation and a high unemployment rate contribute to a fragile economic situation, refugee-related issues are being increasingly politicized.

The worsening situation for Syrian refugees has again been highlighted by needs assessments conducted in the 3RP countries.

Refugee woman Manal, is putting a broken woman shoe into the stove to light the fire and heat the tent to keep warm

According to the Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, most households cannot meet their basic needs, and 58 per cent of Syrian refugee families live in inadequate and unsafe shelters. Moreover, despite the assistance provided by the 3RP partners, 88 per cent of Syrian refugee households were still below the Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket compared to 55 per cent in 2019. Humanitarian assistance is still the main source of income for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, many of whom are unemployed or not adequately compensated for their work. Meanwhile, Jordan’s Vulnerability Assessment Framework found that 64 per cent of families had to buy food on credit in 2021 compared to 45 per cent in 2018. It also noted that refugees resort to drastic measures, such as reducing food consumption or purchasing lower-quality food. According to the latest Inter-agency Protection Needs Assessment in Türkiye, 90 per cent of refugees cannot fully cover their monthly expenses or basic needs, while 94 per cent have adopted a survival strategy to cope, including reduction of food expenditures and consumption as well as borrowing money.

UNHCR/Houssam Hariri

Additionally, the limited capacity or lack of access to social safety nets in some 3RP countries especially impacts the most vulnerable people. It has resulted in families resorting to harmful coping strategies, such as meal reduction, child labour and child marriage.

The protracted nature of the Syria crisis, combined with a difficult socioeconomic context in most 3RP countries, makes the maintenance of social cohesion an essential part of the response. However, mitigating tensions between communities are becoming increasingly challenging. Moreover, climate change has contributed to more frequent droughts and exacerbated tensions over scarce natural resources, especially in Iraq and Jordan. This, in turn, has affected access to food and livelihood opportunities.

This situation highlights the importance of continued, predictable funding for the 3RP response to ensure the safety and dignity of refugees and affected host communities, especially in a challenging funding environment. In 2021, the 3RP recorded the lowest level of funding since its inception in 2015. This trend is expected to continue this year. By the end of September 2022, only 29 per cent of the regional appeal was funded. This is a much lower level than at the same time in previous years. This reduced funding stands in stark contrast to the projected increase in needs and vulnerabilities among refugees and host communities.

Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

Om Ghazi lost loved ones to the conflict in Syria. She now spends Ramadan in a refugee camp.

UNHCR

Projected situation in 2023 and beyond

Due to the protracted displacement of Syrians and the multi-faceted crises in the region, socioeconomic conditions among refugees and host communities are likely to deteriorate further, increasing poverty rates and tension incidents in the host countries. The Ukraine crisis and other human-caused shocks are expected to further increase vulnerabilities and risks due to their effect on social stability. Climate change will multiply these challenges by impacting natural resources, particularly water, in the short term and health and food security in the mid to long term. The cholera outbreak in some parts of the region will be a concern in 2023, but health needs related to COVID-19 are likely to continue to decrease. However, the pandemic’s socioeconomic impacts will continue to be felt in several 3RP countries. Despite these challenges in the host countries, current intention data suggests that the number of refugees returning to Syria is likely to remain stable — only 1.7 per cent of Syrian refugees surveyed said they intend to return home in the next 12 months.

To respond to these needs, close to 16 million people in 3RP countries are projected to require assistance in 2023. They include around 6.9 Syrian refugees, 556,000 refugees and asylum-seekers of other nationalities and stateless persons and 8.4 million impacted host-community members. The 3RP response will pay specific regard to the needs of the most vulnerable people.

Strategic Objectives and sectoral priorities

Over 270 partners across the five 3RP countries will continue to support and complement governments’ ongoing efforts to assist refugees and vulnerable individuals in host communities and strengthen public institutions’ capacity to provide access to quality basic services. The ‘One Refugee’ approach, the Global Compact on Refugees, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will continue to inform the 3RP’s integrated, non-discriminatory response with a long-term, solutions-orientated approach.

The 3RP response in 2023 will continue to progress four regional strategic directions:

Protecting people: Protection is at the heart of the 3RP response. Partners will continue to work to keep refugees and vulnerable host-community members safe from exploitation, abuse, violence and psychosocial distress, and to support survivors. Access to legal aid and documentation will help people to live dignified lives and access basic services. In addition, strengthening gender-based violence prevention, mitigation and response, increasing the scale and scope of specialized child-protection services, and expanding community protection and refugee-host-community cohesion will also remain important priorities.
Promoting durable solutions: 3RP partners will continue to work towards durable solutions in line with international standards and frameworks. In particular, the 3RP strives to advance local opportunities for inclusion, where applicable, according to the context of each 3RP country, including by fostering ‘resilience for all’ and coordination across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. It will also promote the expansion of complementary pathways and resettlement opportunities, and support voluntary, safe and dignified returns by ensuring that refugees can make informed and voluntary decisions about their preferred solution.
Contributing to dignified lives: Supporting refugees and vulnerable individuals to access protection and basic services and ensure food security will remain a priority for 3RP partners. The 3RP response will continue to improve the minimum standard of housing of the most affected communities (e.g. through shelter upgrades or rental subsidies) to increase the employability of refugees and vulnerable host-community members (e.g. through trainings, internships and career guidance), in addition to expanding economic opportunities for refugees and host communities more broadly. Furthermore, there is an increasing focus on enhancing refugees’ self-reliance by enabling them to access education, health care, social protection programmes and sustainable livelihoods.
Enhancing local and national capacities: To enhance access to services for refugees and vulnerable host-community members, as well as to strengthen social cohesion, supporting national and local capacities is essential. In line with the Grand Bargain commitment, 3RP partners will continue to advance localization by empowering local and national authorities, promoting community ownership, and supporting local partners, including civil-society organizations and businesses. Moreover, activities to strengthen the private sector’s capacities to create and maintain decent employment opportunities will be put in place.

Jubaiha, Jordan

Rose receives her polio vaccination at Jubaiha Medical Centre.

UNICEF/Bashar Al-Ja'bari

Disability inclusion, accountability to affected populations, and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) are crucial elements of the 3RP response. The 3RP is guided by the principle of leaving no one behind, which not only entails reaching the most vulnerable populations but also addresses the intersecting inequalities that hinder affected communities’ access to services, resources and equal opportunities. Through applying community-based approaches across sectors, the 3RP will enhance the participation and inclusion of refugees and host communities and strengthen accountability mechanisms that enable effective engagement with populations of different ages, genders and backgrounds, receiving their feedback and complaints, and providing timely responses. Response efforts will also continue to enhance measures to provide protection from and response to SEA across sectors through capacity-building of the 3RP partners, awareness-raising among the communities, victim-centred assistance through safe referrals to GBV response services, reinforcement of the PSEA focal points network, and boosting of coordination mechanisms.

Ukraine (RRP)

People in Need at launch (Dec. 2022)

4.2 million

People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2022)

4.2 million

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

1.8 billion

Type of appeal

Refugee Response Plan

Countries covered

Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and other countries in the region

Refugees targeted

4.1 million

Host community members targeted

120 thousand

Analysis of the context, crisis and needs

Since the hostilities began in February 2022, nearly one third of Ukrainians have been forced from their homes. Within Ukraine, over 6.2 million people remain displaced by the war, and some 7.7 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded across Europe, with the majority being hosted in the countries covered by the Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) for the Ukraine Situation.

Sectoral assessments conducted across the region in 2022 indicate that significant numbers of refugees face difficulties in meeting basic needs, including food and shelter. With the majority of the refugee population from Ukraine comprising women and children (85-90 per cent), risks of gender-based violence (GBV), trafficking, and sexual exploitation and abuse have been noted as a concern since the crisis began. Family separation impacts 78 per cent of refugees surveyed, while 24 per cent of refugee families include at least one person with specific needs (including people with disabilities, older people, people with serious medical needs, or unaccompanied or separated children).⁵ Access to education and decent work opportunities constitute a critical consideration in ensuring the inclusion of the refugee population and, over time, increasing their self-reliance.

Palanca, Moldova

Refugees from Ukraine wait to board busses at the Palanca border crossing in Moldova, where they will be transferred to Romania.

UNHCR/Mihai von Eremia

Projected situation 2023 and beyond

According to intentions surveys conducted between May and September 2022, over 80 per cent of refugees do not plan to return to Ukraine in the near future. It is expected that refugee flows from Ukraine into neighbouring countries will continue in 2023, due to the ongoing conflict and the onset of winter, coupled with a lack of access to fuel and adequate shelter. In addition, there may be an increased number of new arrivals if there is a significant escalation of hostilities. Therefore, it should be noted that the mid-term response in 2023 will take place alongside a continuing, scaled-down emergency response in most front-line States.

The Regional RRP for the Ukraine Situation is in support of governments, and it cannot substitute for State or European Union action in the mid to long term. However, continued solidarity from the international community and practical support from humanitarian and development organizations remain key to meet these needs, with RRP partners playing a catalytic role.

Strategic objectives and sectoral priorities

Building on the 2022 RRP, the 2023 RRP will bring together some 150 partners to support and complement refugee-hosting countries’ national response, with a focus on four regional strategic objectives:

Ensure refugees’ access to protection and assistance on a non-discriminatory basis, including the rights associated with temporary protection or similar legal statuses in host countries.
Pave the way towards solutions, and expand access to social and economic opportunities to facilitate social inclusion through a whole-of-society approach and in line with the Global Compact on Refugees, particularly recognizing the critical role played by national and local actors, including government ministries, municipal authorities, NGOs and refugee-led organizations.
Ensure that refugees with specific needs continue to have access to targeted support and assistance, while also engaging with and strengthening community-level protective mechanisms.
Advance social cohesion between refugee and host communities through targeted interventions.

Chisinau, Moldova

Ukrainian refugee Svetlana, 83, is partially sighted and requires a wheelchair. She will go to Germany to live with her son, and she does not know if she will ever return to Ukraine.

UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

The RRP population figures include refugees, third-country nationals in need of international protection,⁶ and people who are stateless or at risk of statelessness. Host communities are included in the target population figures only for Moldova. Within the EU, host-community members are not included in the RRP as individuals targeted for assistance, but the Plan does address the needs of impacted host populations at the community level, with an eye to expanding community resources and services that may be under strain due to the arrival of the refugee population.

The protection response in 2023 is focused on ensuring that all refugees from Ukraine continue to have access to territory, legal status and rights in host countries without discrimination, in line with the provisions of the Temporary Protection Directive or relevant national legal protection provisions, and in line with international, regional and national refugee and human rights law. At the same time, identifying and supporting people at heightened risk will be a priority in 2023, with a particular focus on the prevention of and response to GBV, and the protection of children and other refugees with specific needs and characteristics that may expose them to protection risks. Protection partners will also aim to reinforce accountability to affected people by strengthening two-way communication mechanisms and increasing access to information, particularly in terms of awareness of rights and access to assistance and services.

Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) is an integral and cross-cutting component of the RRP and is mainstreamed across the response. Dedicated and proactive collective efforts to mitigate and prevent risks will continue in 2023, including joint PSEA risk assessments, partner capacity assessments, capacity-building and training, as well as community outreach and awareness-raising with the refugee community. Dedicated PSEA Networks are coordinating this work at the country level in all neighbouring countries, co-chaired by UNHCR and NGO partners.

Sofia, Bulgaria

Sergei, from Odesa, is reunited with his family at Sofia’s Central Railway Station.

UNHCR/Dobrin Kashavelov

Regarding education, regional RRP partners will continue to engage with States to develop advocacy and support programmes to facilitate access by refugee children from Ukraine to national school systems, and to ensure access to pre-school and tertiary education. Understanding education’s critical role in providing children with a sense of normalcy and establishing social networks essential to children’s well-being, regional RRP partners will seek to address language barriers and differences in educational curricula, and take into account the needs of all relevant stakeholders to ensure the best quality education possible, however long displacement may last.

Support to basic needs, which was a significant component of the response at the outset of the emergency, will be more targeted in 2023, focusing primarily on temporary accommodation, winterization and renovation of reception facilities, limited cash for assistance to complement existing governmental schemes, and food security assistance in non-EU countries.

The 2023 RRP also prioritizes the effective inclusion of refugees into national systems, including health, social protection, labour markets and others. Priority areas will include decent work, recognition of skills and qualifications to reduce unemployment, access to intensive and targeted language training, safe and affordable childcare, stable and affordable housing, and effective access to social protection schemes.

At the same time, to support the extraordinary generosity of host communities that has characterized the response to date, the RRP places a particular emphasis on fostering social cohesion and peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities, including by strengthening community resources and services that may be under pressure in some areas following the arrival of refugees.

Localization: The RRP for the Ukraine Situation aims to support a whole-of-society and inter-agency response – zoom in on localization.

Going into 2023, the number of national and local NGOs participating in the Ukraine RRP has increased, reflecting growing local ownership.

In line with the Global Compact on Refugees and the Localization Agenda, the role of national and local NGOs, including refugee-led organizations (RLOs), has been particularly important in the response, given their understanding of the challenges and opportunities due to operating in the countries and regions receiving refugees long before the crisis began.

Partnerships with RLOs constitute an important component of the humanitarian response in the RRP, strengthening accountability to affected populations while also empowering these organizations to realize their projects and have an impact on the refugees from Ukraine and their host communities.

UNHCR/Rafal Kostrzynski

References

The Objectives of the SSAR are: I). Creating conditions conducive to voluntary repatriation through community-based investments in areas of high return; II). Building Afghan refugee capital based on livelihood opportunities in Afghanistan in order to facilitate return; and III). Preserving asylum space in host countries, including enhanced support for refugee-hosting communities, alternative temporary stay arrangements for the residual caseload, and resettlement in third countries.
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UNHCR – Refugee returns in the EHAGL Region.
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The Pockets of Hope Initiative: Realizing Solutions in South Sudan https://www.unhcr.org/62b17f7a4
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Refugees in Jordan face escalating challenges as Syria conflict marks 10-year anniversary – UNHCR Jordan; ECHO Factsheet - Jordan (10/05/2022) - Jordan | ReliefWeb; UN: Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Struggle to Survive Amid Worst Socio- economic Crisis in Decades (unicef.org); LCRP-2022_FINAL.pdf (3rpsyriacrisis.org); https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000137875/download/; ECHO Factsheet - Egypt (Last updated 27/07/2022) - Egypt | ReliefWeb
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UNHCR, ‘Displacement Patterns, Protection Risks, and Needs of Refugees from Ukraine, 26 October 2022, https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/96447
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Persons who have fled Ukraine but for whom Ukraine is not their country of origin, and who may be in need of international protection.
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Global Humanitarian Overview 2023