UNHCR’s Innovation Fund awards projects designed by refugees for refugees: A new Refugee-led Innovation Fund from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has awarded 17 organizations hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve the lives of displaced people and host communities. The 17 refugee-led organizations -- from places as diverse as Greece, Italy, Mali, Rwanda, and Uganda -- are set to receive a combined US$700,000 in direct seed funding this year, as well as holistic support from UNHCR through mentorship and technical expertise. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3kBBuc1

https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/99071

• As of 31 January 2023, a total of 10,650 individuals (2,868 families) had cumulatively been repatriated since the second phase of the voluntary repatriation movements started in July 2022, and 10,851 individuals comprising 2,922 families since the first phase of the voluntary repatriation programme from Mantapala settlement started in December 2021.

En décembre 2022, le HCR et ses partenaires ont accueilli cinq convois de 177 familles congolaises (670 individus) en partance de Zambie vers le territoire de Pweto, province du Haut Katanga.

UNHCR’s humanitarian supplies to support relief efforts in Iran’s West Azerbaijan province arrived in Khoy, which was hit by a deadly earthquake on 28 January. As part of a coordinated response with other United Nations agencies, UNHCR has sent core relief items – including 3,000 family tents, 1,500 plastic tarpaulin, 3,000 high thermal blankets, 3,000 sleeping mats, and 3000 family hygiene kits to the affected areas. Distribution of these items to the affected families is ongoing. According to the Government of Iran’s estimates, over 35,000 people have been affected – most of the damage reported in Khoy county. Iran has been a generous refugee hosting country for more than 40 years. In difficult times like these, we express solidarity with the people of Iran and we stand ready to continue supporting those in need of assistance.

Le Japon a renouvelé son engagement en faveur des familles déplacées en République démocratique du Congo (RDC), grâce à un financement de 4,1 millions de dollars américains accordé au Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les Réfugiés (HCR) qui permettra d'améliorer l'accès aux abris, à la protection et à l'aide humanitaire pour les personnes déplacées et leurs communautés d'accueil dans les provinces du Nord-Kivu, du Sud-Kivu et de l'Ituri.

Une délégation de sept refugies et déplacés internes, soutenus par le Haut-Commissariat pour les Refugies, a eu une audience avec le Pape François le 1er février 2023 pour partager leurs souffrances, leurs peines ainsi que leurs aspirations à un futur meilleur. Venus des divers horizons du pays et issus de différentes confessions religieuses, ils prient humblement le Saint Père de demander aux dirigeants de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), des pays voisins, et de la communauté internationale d’intensifier leurs efforts pour ramener la Paix en RDC et dans la sous-région.

Le HCR, l'Agence des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés, a débuté ce mardi 10 janvier 2023 le transfert de milliers de personnes déplacées internes des sites spontanés de Kanyaruchinya, Munigi, Buhombo et Kibati vers le site officiel de Bushagara où la construction de 3000 abris d’urgence se poursuit grâce à l’ONG AIDES (Partenaire du HCR), avec les financements du Fonds Humanitaire et des fonds CERF.

The Global Refugee Work Rights Scorecard: This scorecard is part of the 'Global Refugee Work Rights Report 2022'. The report examines refugees’ work rights in law and in practice across 51 countries that collectively host 87 percent of the world’s refugee population, including all of the top 22 refugee-hosting countries. The scorecard is available here: https://refugeeworkrights.org/scorecard/

Gender responsive resource recovery and reuse (RRR) innovations for home gardening, agroforestry and cooking energy: This ‘RRR in refugee context in Africa’ initiative is being implemented in four refugee settlements and their surrounding host communities in Kenya and Uganda by a partnership among CGIAR centres, UN bodies, academia and NGO’s with funding from BMZ-GIZ and USDA-NIFA. Since late 2021, over 2,200 households are involved 70% of whom are women and an additional 1,600 will be reached in 2023. Indirectly the project will reach 200,000 people. Project websites (https://worldagroforestry.org/project/gender-responsive-innovations-soil-rehabilitation-alternative-fuel-and-agriculture: https://rrr-refugee.iwmi.org/) Contacts: Dr Mary Njenga (CIFOR-ICRAF) M.Njenga@cifor-icraf.org and Solomie Gebrezgabher (IWMI-Ghana) S.Gebrezgabher@cgiar.org. Resource Recovery and Reuse in Refugee Settlements in Africa. Kakuma-Kalobeyei Settlements, Kenya. Watch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA84H0MpaeU