Mauritania

Operational Environment

Mauritania has maintained its generous open-door policy towards refugees and asylum-seekers. Signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and OAU Convention, UNHCR continues its advocacy for the adoption of a national asylum law. The law will enhance refugee protection, self-reliance and integration into national development plans.
 
The instability in Mali has evolved from an emergency to a protracted situation requiring a shift to longer-term, solutions-oriented responses. Following a profiling exercise completed recently in Mbera camp, a strategy based on vulnerabilities will be rolled out for assistance in 2019. Due to the unstable situation in northern Mali, large scale returns of Malian refugees are still not expected in 2019. UNHCR will continue to advocate with development actors to improve the self-reliance of refugees and their host community residing in Bassikounou, close to the border with Mali.
 
In urban areas, UNHCR will continue to respond to the protection needs of refugees and asylum-seekers, and support the Government of Mauritania in addressing mixed movements in a protection-sensitive way, as the crossing from Libya to Europe becomes more difficult and the Western African route to Europe more active.
 
UNHCR works closely with the Government of Mauritania, UN agencies, NGOs and donors under the umbrella of the UN Sustainable Development Partnership Framework, which integrates humanitarian and development interventions and includes a strategy to strengthen peaceful coexistence and self-reliance for refugees and host communities in Mauritania.
 
Current activities that aim at strengthening refugees’ livelihoods will have a higher chance for impact if care and maintenance activities addressing basic needs and food security in the camp are also funded at an adequate level.
 
In 2019, both financial and technical support is required to ensure the provision of basic health services is maintained in Mbera camp after the departure of Doctors Without Borders. Overall, the lack of adequate funding could jeopardize the results achieved so far and increase instability in an already volatile region.
 

Key priorities

In 2019, UNHCR will focus on:

• Ensuring protection and access to essential services;
• Empowering refugees in becoming self-reliant;
• Supporting the host population to promote peaceful coexistence;
• Providing refugees with access to durable solutions;
• Advocating with authorities towards the adoption of a national asylum law and issuance of documentation for refugees in Mauritania.