Rwanda - 2021 year-end report - Unmet Needs

2021

The refugee population in Rwanda is still highly dependent on humanitarian assistance. According to a recent analysis, about 93% of the refugee population rely on food assistance from WFP with 85% being on full ration and 7.5% on half ration. WFP continues to face gaps in financial resources. Despite the progressive Government’s inclusion policy, which is expected to lead to the integration of refugees in national planning and resources allocation, UNHCR still continues to cater for the education needs for refugees. There are needs to build more classrooms, address teacher recruitment, boost secondary education and secure more slots for tertiary education. 

The Rwanda operation received significant resettlement slots and made attempts to meet the set target. However, processing capacity has been constrained with limited workforce, with vast majority of staff being under the affiliate workforce scheme. The Government also shifted from prima-facie to RSD individual assessment for Burundians. The limited capacity has will contribute to a gradual build in the backlog. Despite the efforts made, the Burundian voluntary repatriation (VolRep) remains unpredictable after the sharp decline in refugee interest. The return of Rwandans from DRC is ongoing, however planning from the Rwanda end remains difficult due to uncertainties experienced from DRC’s side.  

There are two main legal partners providing all forms of support, however, the ongoing engagement of the civil society organization requires more investments in capacity-building and financial support. Gender-based violence continues to be a challenging protection concerns as well as the ability to provide comprehensive support especially psychosocial support (PSS) and legal support due to partners’ capacity. There are also many statelessness persons (estimated at 9,500) and many other labelled as ‘others of concern’, with which their status and nationality need to be assessed. This would require considerable financial and technical support to the relevant institutions