UNHCR Kosovo* update
July September 2017
Key Figures
January to September
138,300 sea arrivals in
Europe
2,655 died/ missing in
Mediterranean
The EU Relocation Mechanism
29,698 Relocated during
January to September from
Greece and 9,288 from Italy
to the EU under the EU
Relocation Mechanism
Returns under the EU-
Turkey statement
1,360 Returns from Greece
to Turkey under the EU
Turkey Statement
Western Balkans
4,250 refugees and
migrants remain in Serbia
*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).
Filippo Grandi calls for more efforts to solve conflicts
UN refugee chief says global community is letting
down millions of refugees and displaced people
High Commissioner Filippo Grandi talks to a young Rohingya man at
Kutupalong camp in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, in the wake of a mass exodus
of refugees from neighbouring Myanmar.
UNHCR/Roger Arnold
Grandi highlights needs of refugees in Bangladesh
Praising response so far, UNHCR chief says he has rarely seen
people in so much need. They had to flee very sudden and
cruel violence, and they have fled with nothing. Their needs are
enormous food, health, shelter, he declared on 27
September. They have absolutely nothing. I have hardly seen
in my career people that have come with so little. They need
everything.
Grandi welcomed an enormous out-pouring of solidarity on the
part of the Bangladesh authorities and the international
community, but cautioned that it would have to continue and
deepen.
This is not a short-term emergency We need the help of all
of you, he said, warning: the combination of limited health
facilities, poor sanitary and hygiene conditions and
overcrowded sites, you can well imagine is a recipe for disaster
in terms of possible epidemics.
Grandi said that at its peak there were an estimated 15,000
people a day crossing the border, and although the flow has
now declined there are reports that there are still displaced
inside Myanmar some of whom maybe trying to find a way to
cross the border into Bangladesh.
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UN Refugee Chief honours commitment and spirit of aid workers - UN High Commissioner for
Refugees Filippo Grandi honoured the commitment and spirit of humanitarian workers who daily risk their
lives to care for those affected by violence worldwide, and who are often targets themselves. I would like
to pay tribute to all those of you who are operating in difficult environments affected by conflict and
insecurity, and for your deep commitment and spirit, Grandi said in a statement to staff. He made the
remarks on the eve of World Humanitarian Day, which is marked on August 19 each year in tribute to aid
workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service, and to rally support for people affected by crises around
the world.

Strong compacts for refugees and migrants more urgent than ever - NEW YORK, 20 September
Faced with record numbers of people displaced
by conflict and persecution, and the rise and
complexity of international migration, two
senior UN officials appealed to governments to
ensure the new global compacts on refugees
and migrants are robust, with the rights of
people on the move at their core. The call was
made by Special Representative for
International Migration (SRSG) Louise Arbour
and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo
Grandi at a high-level meeting, co-hosted by the
They came in unending lines, the very old and the very younghundreds of two, at the United Nations in New York. The
thousands of Middle East migrants and refugees on the Balkan Route from
meeting marked the first anniversary of the
southern to northern Europe via Croatia in 2015. UNHCR/Mark Henley
historic New York Declaration for Refugees and
Migrants a landmark agreement adopted by all 193 UN Member States to enhance the protection of
people on the move. The Declaration provides for the negotiation of a global compact for safe, orderly and
regular migration to be adopted in 2018, and for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to propose a global
compact specific to refugees in his annual report to the UN General Assembly next year.

As new arrivals top half a million in Bangladesh, UNHCR getting ever more refugees into
shelter - The latest estimate of the number of Rohingya who have arrived in neighbouring Bangladesh since
violence erupted in Myanmar has crossed the half million mark, at 501,000 as of 28 September. Teams of
UNHCRs partner are also scouting crossing points on the border with Myanmar to see where plastic sheets,
pots and pans, jerry cans, plastic mats and solar lamps can be handed to refugees as soon as they enter
Bangladesh. This will minimize the time that refugees already traumatized by the events that forced them
to flee and by their harrowing journeys will have to spend out in the open, and should cut down illness,
malnutrition and decrease the threat of outbreak of contagious diseases. UNHCR nutrition experts estimate
(based on recent surveys on both sides of the border) that almost one in five (18 per cent) of the new arrivals
are suffering from acute malnutrition. If nothing is done soon, they warn that the proportion could rise to
one in four. This is due to more than lack of food. We witness dire need for psycho-social support and
counselling among refugees. Also vital is the food and supplemental feeding for breastfeeding mothers and
their babies, many of them severely traumatised, sick and malnourished.

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UNHCR calls for the EU relocation scheme to continue - UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, urged EU
Member States to promptly relocate all asylum-seekers eligible under the EUs emergency relocation
scheme and for it to continue beyond the two years originally planned. Swift relocation, including fast
registration and transfer of candidates, is particularly crucial for unaccompanied and separated children,
who sometimes still are in poor living and security conditions in Greece and Italy. Up to 22 September 2017,
47,905 places were formally pledged by States, with 20,066 asylum-seekers relocated from Greece and 9,078
from Italy. UNHCR will continue providing support for relocation from Greece and Italy.

Visionary Nigerian teacher wins UNHCR

Nansen Refugee Award - Mediator who helped
gain release of Chibok girls wins Nansen honour for
opening schools in conflict zone. Zannah Mustapha, a
champion for the rights of displaced children growing
up amid violence in north-eastern Nigeria to get a
quality education, has been named the 2017 winner
of UNHCRs Nansen Refugee Award. Mustapha
founded a school in 2007 in Maiduguri the capital of
Borno State and the epicentre of the Boko Haram
Mustapha and the students of Future Prowess Islamic
insurgency. The school has stayed open throughout
Foundation School before morning assembly.
UNHCR/ Rahima Gambo the conflict with Boko Haram, which has seen some
20,000 killed across the Lake Chad region, and
millions more displaced. The school provides a free education, as well as free meals, uniforms and health
care, to children affected by violence. Those orphaned by the conflict on both sides are welcomed into
Mustaphas classrooms as a sign of the reconciliation he hopes to achieve in the region.

South Sudan refugees in Uganda pass 1 million mark, UNHCR renews call for help - Over the
past 12 months, an average of 1,800 South Sudanese have been arriving in Uganda every day. In addition to
the million there, a million or even more South Sudanese refugees are being hosted by Sudan, Ethiopia,
Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic. In Uganda, more than 85 per cent of
the refugees who have arrived there are women and children (below 18 years in age). Recent arrivals
continue to speak of barbaric violence, with armed groups reportedly burning down houses with civilians
inside, people being killed in front of family members, sexual assaults of women and girls, and kidnapping
of boys for forced conscription. Since December 2013, when South Sudans crisis erupted in Juba, more than
two million South Sudanese have fled to neighbouring countries, while another two million people are
estimated to be internally displaced.

Europe: new Roadmap to improve the situation of unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant
children - 10 July - UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, UNICEF, and IRC, the International Rescue Committee,
issued a Roadmap for action to improve the situation of refugee and migrant children arriving and staying
in Europe without their parents or care givers. The Roadmap highlights the need to identify children, register
them through child-friendly procedures, and build a relationship of trust with them as early as possible.

More of the latest information on UNHCR activities and programmes is available on the website:
http://www.unhcr.org/

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 UNHCR Kosovo key developments in July - September
On 4th July, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, mission in
Kosovo and its implementing partner Advancing
Together (AT) organized a regional coordination meeting
in Pristina aiming to bring together municipal and central
actors working on returns issues to discuss the voluntary
returns process, reintegration mechanisms and
enhanced cooperation with relevant return actors.
Participants of the meeting included officials of Ministry
of Communities and Returns, Municipal Offices of
Communities and Return and UNHCRs implementing
partner for legal support Civil Rights Programme Kosovo
(CRPK).

Cooperation of UN Agencies in Kosovo and institutions - Chief of UNHCR Mission in Kosovo,

Narasimha Rao, and Head of UNICEF Mission, Brandao Co
met Violeta Berisha, Head of division for reintegration of
readmitted persons of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and
Afrim Mehmeti, official at Centre for temporary shelter for
repatriated persons, in Pristina on 28 July. The purpose of
the meeting at the centre for temporary shelter was part
of the continued cooperation of UN Agencies in Kosovo
and institutions. The visit was to get more information on
the situation of readmitted individuals and families and the
support provided to them by the institutions. During the
meeting, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said
that all readmitted persons who are eligible for assistance
gets support. In addition, they said that particular attention is given to vulnerable and minority
communities. Visit of UNHCR and UNICEF Head of mission to the Centre for temporary shelter for
repatriated persons is following the visit to the Centre for asylum-seekers and the Reception Centre for
Foreigners.

Voluntary return of displaced families - UNHCR,

the UN Refugee Agency mission in Pristina supported
four families to return after spending many years in
displacement in the Konik camp near Podgorica through
its exceptional return package. UNHCR supported
returnee families with the payment for the rent and also
an aid package of food and non-food items for six
months. Luckily the families were included as
beneficiaries of the EU-Return and Reintegration
Programme. Few days ago, IOM mission in Kosovo
handed over keys of constructed houses in Gjakov/akovica to those four families. On 14th August, UNHCR
provided to all returnee families basic furniture, as wardrobes and sofas, kitchen stuff and house appliances.
Returnees were happy to come back home and become part of the community. The EU-Return and
Reintegration Kosovo Programme is funded by European Union and the Ministry of Communities and
Return, and implemented by IOM Kosovo. UNHCR and IOM will continue to assist families through income
generation projects.

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 Visit to returnee families On 22 August, Chief of
UNHCR mission in Kosovo, Narasimha Rao visited
returnee families in Plemetin, Obiliq/ Obilic
Municipality to see how theyre doing in their new
environment. Mr. Narasimha Rao met a returnee
family of five members that have returned through
return package offered by UNHCR. The head of the
family said that the house where they are
accommodated is providing enough space for his
family. UNHCR will pay rent for the family for twelve
months and food and non-food items will be
delivered to them. Chief of UNHCR mission in Kosovo,
Mr. Rao, in Plemetina met also a family who returned from Skopje. The family was assisted by UNHCR with
food and non-food items, furniture and house appliances and income generation. The family was included
in the housing project of the EU-Return and Reintegration Programme funded by EU in Kosovo and the
Ministry of Communities and Return, implemented by IOM Kosovo.

Implementation of the Municipal Action Plans

on displaced persons - UNHCR and its implementing
partner Advancing Together (AT) organized trainings in
Pristina and Pej/Pe with the members of the
Municipal Commissions for Monitoring
Implementation of the Municipal Action Plans on
displaced persons and durable solutions. The training
held on 24 August aimed to introduce the Municipal
action plan and the areas of monitoring of its
implementation as well as to agree on the reporting
modality. The training was attended by the commission
members of 10 municipalities, Heads of Municipal
Offices for Communities and Returns and representatives of the Ministry of Communities and Return.

Report on Profiling of Internally Displaced

Persons - On 25 August, UNHCR mission in Kosovo,
Danish Refugee Council and the Ministry of
Communities and Return, organized a workshop on
Revising the Report on Profiling of Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Kosovo. The Profiling
exercise was conducted with internally displaced
persons in Kosovo with the aim to get information on
their living conditions and needs, understand the
level of integration of IDPs in the places of
displacement and on their preferred durable solutions. The Report will provide a demographic profile of
the IDPs, data on age and gender and other information on unemployment rate, incomes, and school
attendance of the children, access to property and land and other facts. The objective is to provide a policy
guidance for institutions how to address challenges in relation to displacement in Kosovo. The Final report
on profiling of IDPs in Kosovo will be published in few weeks. The final workshop on profiling of IDPs in
Kosovo attended the Joint IDP Profiling Service (JIPS), Kosovo Statistic Agency, UNDP, IOM, UNMIK and
Serbian Commissariat for Refugees and Migration.

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 Implementation Working Group (IWG) for the
Inter-institutional Initiative on Durable
Solutions for Displaced Persons from Kosovo
On 11 September, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe, (OSCE) mission in Kosovo in close co-
operation with the Ministry of Communities and
Return (MCR), organized the second inclusive meeting
of the Implementation Working Group (IWG) for the
Inter-institutional Initiative on Durable Solutions for
Displaced Persons from Kosovo (the Skopje
Process). All focal points appointed from respective ministries and institutions in Kosovo, as well as
representative of the European Union Special Representative in Kosovo evaluated the progress of the
respective thematic sub-groups (Property rights; Personal Documentation; and Security, Reintegration and
Dialogue) as well as agreed on concrete steps in implementation of the Action Points endorsed by the four
delegations (Belgrade, Pristina, Skopje and Podgorica). The two pending Action Points (Data management;
and Solutions Planning) shall be also soon revisited with the view of reaching an agreement and eventually
an endorsement from the side of respective delegations, thereby paving the way for implementation of
respective actions in Kosovo and in the region.

Training on refugee protection On 27 September,

Kosovo Academy of Justice supported by UNHCR mission in
Pristina organized training on the topic "On Movement and
residence of foreigner as well as legal procedures in
Kosovo/ International Legislation and Standards for
Refugees". Training for judges and prosecutors was
attended also by officials from the Ministry of Internal
Affairs, Division for Foreigners, as well as officials from the
Free Legal Aid Agency in Kosovo. The first part of the
training was dedicated to the topic of International Refugee Rights. The participants were briefed on the
principle of non-refoulement, provisions of the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol Relating
to the Status of Refugees, regional instruments relating to refugees, and determination of refugee status.
The second part included a topic of the movement and attitude of foreigners, presented by the President
of the Court of Appeal based on the Law on Foreigners. The third part was presented by the Justice Academy
Trainer.

UNHCR mission in Pristina handed over IT equipment to

ten Municipal Offices for Communities and Return
(MOCR) in Kosovo. Computers and some printers were
given to the MOCR in Gjilan/Gnjilane, Pej/Pec,
Mitrovic/Mitrovica South, Gjakov/akovica,
Kamenic/Kamenica, Istog/Istok, Fush Kosov/Kosovo
Polje, Novobrd/Novo Brdo, Obiliq/Obili, and
Lipjan/Lipljan. UNHCR supports Municipal Offices for
Communities and Return in their activities on
sustainable return and community stabilization.

Contacts: UNHCR office in Pristina, E-mail: halilis@unhcr.org, Tel: +381 38 241 509 Ext. 2701