UNHCR TO COVER DRUGS GAPS IN REFUGEE CAMPS AND EL LERI SETTLEMENT TO THE END OF 2019; ADDITIONAL FUNDING STILL NEEDED – UNHCR is procuring essential drugs to address supply gaps in health clinics in refugee camps in White Nile and East Darfur States, and for the El Leri settlements in South Kordofan State. The procurement will cover essential drugs supply needs for one year, with an additional four months’ supply allocated as contingency stock. Funding is urgently needed to cover drugs supply gaps in other out-of-camp refugee settlements in all States across the response.

OCTOBER SEES LOWEST NEW ARRIVALS IN 2018 SO FAR – January saw the highest number of new arrivals in 2018 with nearly 5,800 individuals, and arrivals have been in steady decline since, with just 721 arrivals in October, including zero new arrivals reported in East Darfur State. Inter-agency partners agreed in July to revise new arrival estimates for 2018 to 50,000 by year-end, from an original estimate of 200,000, following the notably slower rate of new arrivals in the first half of the year.

In a historic decision, the member states of the UN General Assembly today agreed on a new international framework – known as the Global Compact on Refugees – that will transform the way the world responds to mass displacement and refugee crises, benefiting both refugees and the communities that host them.

Talented refugee models who met with UNHCR High Profile Supporter, Helena Christensen, in October 2018 grace Vogue Magazine.

In Uganda, refugees from South Sudan continue to report fleeing primarily out of fear of attack by fighters from either side of the conflict inside the country.

In October, a special examination for Burundian refugees enrolled in the secondary school has been administered by the National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA) in all three refugee camps of Mtendeli, Nduta and Nyarugusu. Out of 959 registered Burundian students, 921 (96 per cent) attended the examination, which provides a recognized certificate by countries in the region and ensures continuity of education beyond secondary school in Tanzania.

In Lusenda and Mulongwe settlements the stocks of essential medicine remains severely depleted due to the underfunding for the Burundian situation. As result, refugees have experienced a reduction in the quality of care and there have been more frequent referrals to secondary health structures.

Some 411 Burundians registered for training on business skills and access to finance launched by INKOMOKO Business Development for the 2019 cohort programme. The programme aims at bolstering the capacities of refugees to run businesses and contribute economically to the communities where they are integrated.

One of our anti-SGBV Initiatives is the MADE51. This artisan initiative allows refugee artisans, many of them women at risk of SGBV, to receive expert product development support and access to international marketing channels and sustainable livelihoods.

Since 2014, UNHCR, in partnership with Safe from the Start, an anti-SGBV initiative supported by the US Government, has developed 15 new projects to reduce the risk of SGBV through access to cooking energy and the creation of livelihood opportunities for refugee women.