A national asylum legislation framework was not yet adopted. UNHCR continued discussions with the Government of Algeria on the introduction of measures to strengthen the asylum system and the protection environment for people of concern. Access to asylum continues to be the biggest operational challenge with a pressing need for a system to allow identification, reception, and referrals of potential refugees to authorities and UNHCR. With UNHCR’s presence limited to Algiers for the urban refugees and asylum seekers, access to relevant information, asylum procedures, and basic services upon arrival, as well as protection from refoulement at border areas, remained significant unmet needs.
Additionally, there was an increased need for new methods of outreach, including through online tools and platforms, to identify the most vulnerable groups of refugees and asylum seekers outside Algiers, their needs and to find reliable ways to assist them.
UNHCR continued to work to remove barriers to access to and retention in schools and to promote the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in the national education system. Given the high number of unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) and other children at risk in need of safe shelter and referral services, a holistic intervention to provide shelter, food, education, medical services and extracurricular and pedagogic activities was needed.
In 2021, UNHCR Algiers witnessed a more than 50% increase in reported gender-based violence cases compared to 2021. Given the high number of gender-based violence cases reported, there was a need to strengthen and expand the services and referral pathways offered to survivors. Moreover, due to the impact of the different waves of COVID-19 and associated restrictions, the backlog of RSD and registration increased.
In Tindouf, a persistent gap in funding remained in the energy sector, as one additional cylinder per household per month could not be covered to meet the refugees needs for cooking. Laayoune camp was the most affected area by the lack of gas. Despite UNHCR and partner efforts in the maintenance of generators providing electricity/lighting, six generators were yet to be replaced.
Delayed procurement of 3,000 tent materials to cover 23% of the total gap (13,200) in 2021 affected many families in need of adequate shelter, as they have used worn-out tents for more than eight years. UNHCR is revising the shelter standards for the tent and core relief item (CRI) distributions to ensure safe housing and address prioritized needs. Due to purchasing constraints related to COVID-19, soap was only distributed to the population (250g per individual per month) to cover seven months out of twelve. Moreover, efficient waste management in the camps remained challenging with not enough Sahrawi workers actively involved in preserving the living environment, and low incentives which contributed to demotivation. Despite efforts and commitment of the involved actors to improve environmental sanitation conditions in the camps, and because of the low community participation in hygiene promotion and solid waste management, especially mass clean-up campaigns in the camps, it was not possible to meet UNHCR standards.