Algeria

In Algeria, for over 50 years, Sahrawi refugees found protection and assistance. The long duration of the situation and the absence of progress towards a political solution have made it difficult to sustain international attention and support. 
 

$42.2 million

are urgently needed from January to December 2024

Check the latest Funding Update

Algeria
UNHCR distributed 2,800 bales of warm second-hand clothing donated by UNIQLO to Sahrawi refugees in the camps near Tindouf, Algeria to protect the most vulnerable refugees this winter. Women in the camps helped UNHCR organize the distribution.
© UNHCR/Eunice Ohanusi
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For over 50 years, Algeria has hosted Sahrawi refugees, making it one of the world's longest-standing refugee situations. The interagency Sahrawi Refugee Response Plan launched in November 2023 estimates that more than 173,000 people need humanitarian assistance in five camps. 

Additionally, apart from the Sahrawis, Algeria hosts approximately 12,000 refugees and asylum seekers, four-fifths of whom are Syrian, and the remainder is made up of a variety of countries, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.

UNHCR is actively engaged in advocating for refugee inclusion in essential services and collaborating with authorities and civil society to reduce protection risks and enhance access to work. Through community participation and strengthened coordination mechanisms, UNHCR works towards enhancing refugee resilience and promoting self-reliance opportunities despite the constraints of protracted displacement.

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Populations

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Algeria | 2025
Total186,119Refugees | 98%Asylum-seekers | 2%

Note: The "Stateless" category does not include stateless people who are also in other categories, to avoid double counting. The total number of stateless, across all categories, is .

NB: 2025 figures are planning figures.

Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder for years until 2022, UNHCR planning figures (COMPASS) otherwise.

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Financials

Algeria
Budget (USD)Expenditure (USD)
201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025-5 million10 million15 million20 million25 million30 million35 million40 million45 million

Source: 2025 budget was approved by ExCom in October 2024 while the 2024 budget figures include the latest supplementary appeals and are updated on a monthly basis.

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Strategy
Strategy - Country

Strategy 2025 View All

Executive summary

In Algeria, UNHCR operates in two distinct contexts to address the needs of refugees. In Tindouf, UNHCR leads a protracted, camp-based response, coordinating with 28 partners across five camps to provide protection and assistance to Sahrawi refugees. Meanwhile, from its office in Algiers, UNHCR supports refugees and asylum-seekers from diverse origins, including the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, living in urban settings.

 

Refugees and asylum-seekers have access to public education and primary health services in Algeria. However, they do not enjoy access to formal work or national social protection systems. In terms of durable solutions, local integration options remain extremely limited while voluntary repatriation opportunities are largely non-existent for the office’ s caseload. Resettlement is the main durable solution available for refugees in Algeria who are prioritized based on their vulnerability.
 

In 2025, UNHCR will continue to collaborate with national authorities to advance the development of a national system for the protection of refugees, including the promulgation a national law.  UNHCR will maintain its refugee protection activities alongside the authorities to address challenges affecting asylum-seekers and refugees.  UNHCR’ s limited operational presence outside Tindouf and Algiers limits its ability to provide protection and assistance to all individuals under its mandate.

UNHCR will continue to implement a range of initiatives to facilitate access to income-generating opportunities, including vocational training, for refugees in the camps near Tindouf.  It will continue to implement life-sustaining cash-based interventions for the most vulnerable refugees in urban areas. And it will reinforce its communication with communities to ensure that all stakeholders, including youth, are consulted in its programming.

In the Sahrawi refugee camps, UNHCR will build on the consolidated articulation of the needs of the population in the UN-led Sahrawi Refugee Response Plan. Funding opportunities for a situation as protracted as that of the camps near Tindouf are limited but UNHCR is vigorously pursuing opportunities in the private sector and through Islamic philanthropy. Priority needs are likely to remain food assistance, WASH, health, education, and livelihoods. UNHCR will continue its close collaboration with the Algerian Government, the Algerian Red Crescent and partners in the refugee camps and the Sahrawi Refugee Partners platform for donors in Algiers. 


Situation analysis

Algeria is both a country of transit and a country of destination hosting refugees and asylum-seekers from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. The political, security and economic situation in the Sahel region has lately been characterized by coups d’ état, armed conflict, and extreme poverty. Prospects for the near future are not particularly encouraging and large-scale displacement into and beyond Algeria are likely to continue.  In the absence of a national legislative framework for refugees, UNHCR conducts, pursuant to its mandate and consistent with its seat agreement with Algeria, registration of asylum-seekers and refugee status determination. Working with the authorities to achieve joint or Government-only documentation for refugees is a priority.  

In a challenging regional environment, UNHCR will focus on the commitments made by Algeria at the second Global Refugee Forum held in December 2023. These included the enactment of a national law on refugees and asylum-seekers, ensuring access to essential services and active engagement on addressing root causes of displacement. UNHCR will seek to reinforce its cooperation with the Government including through closer engagement on the coordination of the humanitarian operation in Tindouf and the implementation of the new law on refugees and asylum-seekers. UNHCR will seek to formalize engagement procedures with relevant national counterparts to ensure that asylum-seekers and refugees throughout Algeria can access asylum procedures and documentation. 

UNHCR will engage with regional bodies as appropriate to enhance its advocacy efforts and will adapt its response to meet the protection needs of forcibly displaced populations.  UNHCR will strengthen its partnerships with humanitarian partners, in particular the Algerian Red Crescent, to ensure access to essential services. UNHCR will also work with partners in the camps to promote access to basic food and nutrition, shelter, and WASH facilities as well as to energy and power-saving practices and alternative energy technologies. In the urban context, UNHCR will transition from status-based to vulnerability-based assessments for the provision of cash-based interventions to asylum-seekers and refugees.   

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a core protection risk faced by the forcibly displaced people.  Additional accommodation will be brought on stream for victims and those at risk of GBV in Algiers.  UNHCR will continue to work with government counterparts to facilitate access to national protection facilities, particularly for underaged and separated children.

 

In light of the limited prospects for sustainable solutions in the country in the near future, UNHCR will reinforce its work to expand access to resettlement and complementary pathways for forcibly displaced persons in Algeria. 


Vision and strategic orientation

The 2025-2027 strategy envisions that by 2027 Sahrawi refugees in Tindouf will be able to meet their basic needs in an increasingly sustainable, empowered, and self-reliant manner. Refugees and asylum-seekers in the rest of the country will enjoy international protection including access to territory and safety and are able to access essential services.
 

To achieve this vision, in Algiers, UNHCR will work closely with national authorities and advocate with regional and global actors to improve the protection environment and implement the expected new national law on refugees and asylum-seekers in a manner consistent with international refugee law. It will endeavor to expand access to asylum, registration, and documentation (jointly or by the Government) and to play a role in the response to mixed movements in Algeria. It will seek to reinforce the provision of essential services pledged by Algeria at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum and refugees’  inclusion in social protection systems through advocacy for their inclusion into national plans and relevant UN-Government cooperation frameworks. UNHCR will seek to enhance durable solutions through expanded opportunities for resettlement and complementary pathways.
 

In Tindouf, UNHCR will focus on strengthening the protection of Sahrawi refugees through among other things through its support for health and nutritional services, expanding the quality of the water network, enhancing the provision of shelter and energy, supporting timely access to documentation through the Sahrawi Identification Centre and supporting social protection interventions and socio-economic inclusion for refugees.  

 

UNHCR will build on the improvements in coordination and funding brought about (at least in part) by the Sahrawi Refugee Response Plan and the Algiers-based Sahrawi Refugee Partners platform. Environmental sustainability will be prioritized across all sectors including site planning, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene, and livelihoods.

 

Strategic partnerships with UN agencies, national actors, civil society, refugees, and host communities will remain crucial in ensuring the sustainability of solutions through the inclusion of forcibly displaced people in national systems. In line with Algeria’ s commitments at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, UNHCR will continue to work together with authorities to meet the essential needs of refugees, particularly through offering support to develop a national law for refugees and asylum-seekers and engaging actively on the root causes of displacement.


Age, gender and diversity

UNHCR 2025-2027 strategy seeks to expand access to social protection and durable solutions, support the provision of assistance, and address resource constraints for refugees and asylum-seekers in Algeria. UNHCR will continue enhancing its information management system to ensure up-to-date data collection disaggregated by age, sex, and specific needs, which will facilitate analysis and programming targeting and ensure forcibly displaced people are as age, gender and diversity inclusive as possible.

UNHCR’ s response to the needs of the Sahrawi refugees will be guided by the Sahrawi Refugee Response Plan, which will also serve as the basis for broader UN’ s fundraising efforts for the humanitarian operation.  UNHCR will continue to work to strengthen the age, gender, and diversity approach across all areas of its work, including the work of partners and to undertake efforts to ensure accountability to affected people. UNHCR will undertake regular field and focus group discussions with refugee communities, post-distribution monitoring, and yearly age, gender, and diversity exercises to identify protection gaps, risks, and trends and to ensure the full participation of forcibly displaced and stateless persons in the different stages of the programming.

 

UNHCR will work to reinforce UNHCR Accountability to Affected People through strengthened complaint and feedback mechanisms both in the urban context and in collaboration with the Sahrawi leadership in the camps. It will adapt its programming in line with the diversity of beneficiaries’  profiles (children, older people, women, girls, and boys, LGBTIQ+ and persons with disabilities) to ensure that they can easily access mechanisms such as those established to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA). 

In the urban context, the outreach volunteers programme promotes active community engagement, providing an important feedback channel. Other important channels include the dedicated protection e-mail and hotline numbers. The operation will also enhance engagement in the MENA community protection network, strengthening identification and referrals in mixed movements’  contexts, in coordination with neighboring operations. UNHCR will also continue to enhance the collection of disaggregated data for all refugees and asylum-seekers registered with the office through its registration and case management system (ProGres). 

 


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Impact Statements

Impact statement

By 2027 refugees and asylum seekers have access to asylum procedures and documentation that is recognized by the Algerian authorities.

Impact area: Attaining favourable protection environments
Outcome statements

Refugees and asylum-seekers have expanded access to territory and safety, freedom of movement, registration and recognized documentation

Outcome area: Access to territory, registration and documentation

Forcibly displaced people in need of international protection have access to fair and efficient asylum procedures

Outcome area: Refugee status determination

National asylum framework is developed and implemented in line with international standards

Outcome area: Protection policy and law

Refugees and asylum-seekers enjoy protection from arbitrary arrest and detention and effective access to legal remedies

Outcome area: Safety and access to justice

Impact statement

By 2027, refugees and asylum seekers access to sustainable life saving assistance and basic needs in Algeria is increased.

Impact area: Realizing rights in safe environments
Outcome statements

Resource mobilization for the MYS in line with identified needs and priorities is improved and communicated to stakeholders

Outcome area: External engagement and resource mobilization

Refugees and asylum-seekers can meet their basic needs to improve their well-being

Outcome area: Well-being and basic needs

Refugees and asylum seekers have full and free access to quality health care services through advocacy for a better inclusion in the national health system and enhancing the health care system

Outcome area: Healthy lives

Refugees and asylum-seekers have increased access to safe shelters

Outcome area: Sustainable housing and settlements

Refugees and asylum seekers have access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene facilities

Outcome area: Clean water, sanitation and hygiene

Supply chain and logistics management are improved to ensure efficient and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance

Outcome area: Operational support and supply chain

Impact statement

By 2027, Refugees and asylum seekers will have a better realization of social protection.

Impact area: Empowering communities and achieving gender equality
Outcome statements

GBV risks are prevented and mitigated and GBV survivors have access to quality response services

Outcome area: Gender-based violence

Refugee and asylum-seeker children have access to quality child protection services

Outcome area: Child protection

The meaningful participation of refugees and asylum-seekers of all ages, genders and diversities is expanded in planning, implementation and monitoring

Outcome area: Community engagement and women's empowerment

Inclusion and retention of refugees and asylum-seekers in the national education system is strengthened (urban) and quality education enhanced (camps)

Outcome area: Education

Refugees and asylum seekers have access to employment

Outcome area: Self-reliance, economic inclusion and livelihoods

Impact statement

By 2027, refugees and asylum seekers have expanded access to durable solutions.

Impact area: Securing solutions
Outcome statements

More refugees and asylum seekers depart for resettlement and complementary pathways

Outcome area: Resettlement and complementary pathways

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The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
UNHCR GIS data is publicly accessible in the Operational Data Portal