2021
For 2021, based on priority protection needs identified during 2019 Participatory Assessments, the Operation’s main priorities for refugees and asylum-seekers in urban areas will be to:
- Advocate for the adoption of the refugee law by the Algerian Government, and provide support and expertise to build the national asylum system and capacity;
- Advocate for the Government to provide status to refugees recognized by UNHCR and to establish a joint or government documentation to asylum-seekers and refugees;
- Maintain adequate capacity for registration and RSD activities to ensure efficient registration and UNHCR standards;
- Expand the provision of free legal aid in the framework of asylum procedures through legal actors and networks and build local/national capacities to assist asylum-seekers;
- Advocate for the inclusion of refugees within the United Nations Framework Plan for Development Assistance (UNDAF) and other plans to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals;
- Strengthen identification of refugee survivors of violence and abuses, such as trafficking, exploitation, gender-based violence, and their access to services provided by civil society organizations in Algeria (education, health, services for gender-based violence survivors, national child protection services, national services for persons with disabilities, etc.) and provide capacity development to strengthen national systems. In parallel, UNHCR will continue to provide complementary services through its partners to ensure the refugees can meet their basis needs, helping them access existing national services, and provide specialized assistance, such as safe housing, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), to persons of concern with specific needs if unavailable to them through existing systems;
- Prioritize interventions addressing gender-based violence: UNHCR will allocate, and advocate for, resources for gender-based violence prevention, risk mitigation and response, and monitor implementation and results, in accordance with the new policy on the prevention of risk mitigation and response to gender-based violence; Implement priority actions for urban areas included in the gender-based violence mainstreaming action plan; Strengthen awareness on sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and ensure that SEA complaint mechanisms are in place and functional, including services for survivors;
- Strengthen awareness of children of concern on risks of exploitation and violence at home, at school, at work and in the communities, as well as identification, reporting and service referral and reporting modalities; Prevent child labour, school drop-out through different outreach and awareness raising activities, including targeted visits and discussions with most at-risk children and youth population (unaccompanied and separated children (UASC), children engaged in work, children with disabilities), child parents and other community members; Strengthen best interest procedures to ensure best interests assessments (BIAs) are timely for all UASC and other children at risk in line with UNHCR best interests procress guidelines and increase access to basic services (education, health) and specialized support, including psychosocial assistance, for UASC and other children at heightened risk;
- Strengthen the livelihoods interventions for urban refugees through microfinance, vocational training, etc. UNHCR will advocate with the Ministry of Labour to grant work permits to refugees;
- Continue to strengthen the application of participatory methodologies and make greater use of its findings not only for assessment purposes but also in the various stages of the OMC;
- Strengthen community outreach and community based-protection interventions: UNHCR with its partners will work to strengthen community empowerment and self-reliance. Outreach, information and communication between UNHCR and refugees will be improved, ensuring ongoing communication, dialogue and feedback, and accessible complaints mechanisms;
- Advocate for an increased resettlement quota and strengthen identification and processing of cases of complementary pathways for admission to third countries in addition to resettlement.