The new Refugee Proclamation asserting progressive rights to refugees, the main actions prioritized would be geared towards preparing South Sudanese Refugees to access these rights in Gambella and Assosa. In the Gambella region, the new Refugee Proclamation, especially the Out of Camp and Integration pledges have provoked a hostile attitude towards refugees, owing to their high number. In accordance with the CRR approach, UNHCR will focus on the coordination of comprehensive benefits to the refugee hosting area. In this regard, protection will focus on identifying and anticipating risks pertaining to long term security and safety, standards of living, access to livelihoods, land, housing and property.
Registration: A thorough exercise of continuous individual profiling (including unregistered living in camps) through the optimal use of ProGres will be prioritized by protection, capturing accurate baselines of the refugees potential, assets and vulnerabilities to enable evidence based programming, especially in livelihood and education. The governance of one stop shop centres will be designed to address the documentation needs of refugees and provide state issued vital events documents to the host community as needed. UNHCR registration will capture the assistance provided to the host community individuals/groups as evidence of a comprehensive response.
Community-Based Protection: UNHCR will strengthen its community-based approach, establishing a partnership with refugees and capitalizing on their capabilities and existing initiatives, bringing refugees to take ownership and make decisions. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) on Women Empowerment, women, men, girls and boys will actively participate in leveraging all capacities in the camp, with a more active role of women in peaceful coexistence.
Child Protection: emphasis will be given to a community based approached to child protection, working to restore the traditional community child rearing system, with less implication from partners to monitor and address discrimination, violence and exploitation of children. UNHCR will work with the Bureau of Women and Children Affairs (BoWCA) on problems common to children in the refugee hosting area. Foster care of UAMs in the community will be explored. Constructive activities for adolescents (ball making, art craft) will be scaled up.
SGBV: Mainstreaming SGBV in all sectors will be emphasized and scale up as well safe houses for survivors will be identified through BoWCA to serve refugees and host community.
Education: The Regional Education Bureau (REB) will handle the inspection and assess the standards and the refugee community will be prepared to take ownership of all education assets. Both instances will conduct monitoring of teachers’ behavior in accordance with the code of conduct and the national system requirements. Refugees will also be prepared to use national secondary schools where funding mainstreams would be directed for the refugee hosting area.
Legal Protection: UNHCR will continue to support mobile courts to the camps and work with the Bureau of Legal and social Affairs (BowLSA) on concerns that affect access to justice in the refugee hosting area.
UNHCR will also gear toward the coordination of CRRF actors by shifting to working group sector approach led by Regional Government counterparts’ entities, the implementation of the joint projects and integration into national system.
The Operation in Gambella will focus on economic inclusion of refugee hosting areas. In 2019, UNHCR will conduct comprehensive value chain analysis in all refugee hosting areas in partnership with FAO. WFP will be investing US$30 million for livelihoods projects in in refugee hosting areas through funding from DANIDA/SIDA for irrigated agriculture, livestock, rangeland management and financial services. In additional, private sector engagements are being pursued wherever feasible.