This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
As of June 2020, the East, Horn and Great Lakes region, overseen by the UNHCR bureau in Nairobi, hosts 4.6 million refugees and 8.1 million internally displaced persons. The majority of displaced people in Africa are in this region, due to conflicts in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Burundi and elsewhere.
The South Sudan refugee crisis is the largest in Africa, with more than two million refugees sheltered in Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya. Four out of the 10 biggest internally displaced persons crises in the world are in Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and South Sudan.
UNHCR regional director for East, Horn and Great Lakes Region, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, emphasized the need to balance the fight against Covid-19 with the protection of refugees' rights. 'We are in a race against time to ensure we are as prepared as we can be should the virus spread,' she said.
While there have been no widespread outbreaks in refugee populations in the region, UNHCR has been working closely with governments to ensure isolation, treatment and contact tracing for confirmed Covid-19 cases among refugees. The organization is also concerned about the closure of schools, resulting in over one million refugee students being out of school, and a rise in cases of sexual and gender-based violence and sexual exploitation.
Refugees, particularly urban refugees who are generally daily wage earners or work in the informal economy, are struggling to provide for themselves and their families with a loss of jobs and economic opportunities. Border closures are complicating access to asylum, and UNHCR has appealed for special measures to be put in place to allow for asylum seekers to be screened, quarantined and admitted.
Measures have been taken to protect refugees and the communities hosting them from the spread of coronavirus, including setting up hand washing facilities, distributing extra soap, making masks available, and changing food and other aid distribution practices in line with social distancing measures.
UNHCR and partners are expanding mental health and other counselling services for refugees and asylum seekers to help mitigate the impact of the crisis. For urban refugees, they are providing cash and food assistance to help them survive.
UNHCR is exploring options to include urban refugees in national safety net programmes, as inclusion pays off for everyone. Refugees are already showing that they are part of the solution and have made important contributions to their host communities during the crisis.
As of June 2020, only 13 per cent of the $1.9 billion funding requirements for the region has been given to date. In response to Covid-19, the UN made a global inter-agency appeal of $6.7 billion, with UNHCR global requirements amounting to $745 million, of which just over one third has been funded.
