Operational context:
In 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of the Philippines continued to demonstrate a strong humanitarian stance. It reaffirmed its commitment to international protection, including for Afghans and Rohingya refugees, and progressed in implementing commitments it made during the Global Refugee Forum and its High-Level Segment on Statelessness.
Public attention shifted to the upcoming 2022 elections as the year progressed. Meanwhile, a law was passed to extend the transition period of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao until 2025, postponing the first parliamentary elections.
Against this backdrop, displacement in Mindanao continued due to armed conflict and natural disasters. In December, Mindanao’s Caraga Region was among the areas devastated by super typhoon Rai, causing large-scale displacement.
UNHCR made progress on the preparations for the Government in Mindanao to assume leadership of IDP protection. The Office focused on advocacy and capacity-building support to strengthen and expand the protection environment in Mindanao, including the development of key legislation on IDPs at both the national and sub-national levels, ahead of this planned transition.
Population trends:
As of December 2021, there were 236,000 people of concern to UNHCR in the Philippines, including 105,000 IDPs, 129,000 stateless persons and persons at risk of statelessness, and 1,400 refugees and asylum seekers in urban areas.
The figures for refugees and asylum seekers were cumulative since the Government took over status determination procedures in 1998. The number of refugees and asylum seekers is higher than 2020, attributable largely to ongoing data validation within the Department of Justice.
While the Government recognized 13 stateless persons, there were nearly 130,000 persons at risk of statelessness, particularly people of Indonesian descent and the Sama Bajaus in the southern Philippines. Other populations at risk of statelessness were yet to be mapped.
The recorded number of IDPs in Mindanao stood at 267,000 at year-end, with Typhoon Rai bringing the number of those displaced by natural disasters to more than 160,000. Over one third were in protracted displacement. The main causes of displacement remained natural disasters, armed conflict and clan feuds. In 2021, 181,000 conflict induced IDPs, mostly from communities that experienced short but repetitive displacement, were able to return to their homes.
Key achievements
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UNHCR reached 64,000 people of concern through 25 low-cost, quick impact projects to promote community empowerment and social cohesion.
- UNHCR provided life-saving core relief items to 5,000 IDP households and provided both cash and non-cash support to 700 refugees and asylum seekers.
- Birth certificates were issued to Sama Bajaus formerly at risk of statelessness. In addition, the nationality of 1 per cent of persons of Indonesian descent was confirmed in 2021, bringing the total population who received assistance to 97%.
- UNHCR’s support to the Government which included capacity development activities, technical support and the facilitation of referral mechanisms, led 70% of administrative institutions and practices to provide effective protection for refugees and asylum seekers.
Unmet needs
Financial constraints faced by UNHCR in the Philippines limited the extent of its support to the Government and direct implementation of activities. Programmes for refugees and persons at risk of statelessness, including for self-reliance and birth registration, have remained small-scale implementations.
Specific professional profiles based in Mindanao, such as a Protection Cluster Coordinator and dedicated UNHCR staff to ensure alignment of all cluster leadership and coordination efforts, remained unmet needs.
Where the Government requests UNHCR’s support outside Mindanao, its response to disaster-induced displacement is limited to technical support and advice on protection issues because engagement in disaster-induced displacement requires both coordination within UNHCR and the fulfilment of certain criteria. Given the lack of operational presence in other parts of the Philippines, it has been a challenge to meet the expectations of other partners, including the Humanitarian Country Team.
Limited resources hampered the full implementation of UNHCR’s solution strategy for IDPs, resulting in fewer communities targeted for quick-impact projects – such as the provision of water and sanitation facilities and the installation of solar streetlights – despite the many needs identified in profiling activities.
Use of flexible funding (unearmarked or softly earmarked funding)
Flexible funding allowed the Office to implement key protection priorities and solutions, including cash assistance for 250 refugees across the Philippines and birth registration assistance for 820 Sama Bajaus who were formerly at risk of statelessness.