8,094 individuals were registered as refugees in the Urban Program as of 1 January 2016, up from 6,033 the previous year, made up of refugees who were transferred from the camps for medical, security or humanitarian grounds, Yemeni refugees, beneficiaries of the “Out of Camp Policy” (OCP) and university students. The Urban Program was faced with unprecedented rapid growth attributed to the overall population growth throughout the country, hence an increased number of referrals, as well as the Yemen situation which whose nationals are being accommodated in Addis Ababa. Monthly financial assistance was given to all refugees referred from the camps, excluding OCP refugees. Refugees were also assisted to access basic services including health and education in government institutions, the latter with appropriate referrals for more complex medical cases, to private health facilities. School children received educational support packages to cover costs related to school uniforms, scholastic materials and education fees.
As part of supporting the Government on the Out of Camp Policy (OCP), the office was engaged in discussions to realign the urban refugee program through removal of distinctions in assistance between UNHCR-assisted and OCP refugees and aligning the interventions to the UNHCR’s 2009 Urban Refugee Policy. The concept note was shared with ARRA for endorsement and their feedback is anticipated. Protection was provided to all the refugees through individual consultations recommending appropriate courses of action. An average of 120 individuals were received on a weekly basis and the office successfully put into place mechanisms to maximize on different refugees having this opportunity by limiting the number of times a particular refugee could be seen at reception, to once every two months. UNHCR continued supporting the Refugee Central Committees, Women and Youth Associations, in both Addis Ababa and Moyale.
Similar to last year, the enrolment of children among Urban Assisted Refugee children remained at 87 per cent. Continuous registration was implemented on an on-going basis and 85 per cent of refugees in the urban programme over 14 years had Refugee ID cards. The urban ID card text was modified to clarify that travel permission is required only to travel outside the city, not within the urban area, as was the inclusion of the holder’s address which made it possible for the ID card to be recognized as a valid document, thereby enhancing the protection of refugees. A livelihoods consultant conducted a socio-economic and market survey that fed into the development of a draft urban livelihoods strategy which once endorsed by ARRA, will provide useful framework for implementation of self-reliance and livelihood activities for the urban refugees.
For the Kenyan Borena, there were 3,556 refugees hosted in Megado and Dillo settlements in Borena Zone of Oromia National Regional State in Ethiopia by the end of 2015. Monitoring of the Kenyan Borena refugees has been done remotely from Addis Ababa, in coordination with ARRA which maintained a Zonal Office. Currently, in addition to ARRA, two partner agencies, namely Action for the Needy Ethiopia (ANE) and Mothers and Children Development Organization (MCDO) are providing protection (child protection and SGBV), education, shelter, livelihoods, and WASH services to the refugees at the two settlements. UNHCR will continue regular monitoring to ensure that quality services are maintained and that unmet needs such as the domestic energy supply and environmental protection activities are initiated in 2017; and the existing protection services are upheld while appropriate durable solutions are pursued.