Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

The overall goal of the program is to contribute to the protection and assistance of the most vulnerable IDPs, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya.

Expected results

- In 2017, UNHCR will continue to assist the some 38,000 asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR - mainly from Eritrea, the State of Palestine, and the Syrian Arab Republic, out of an estimated 100,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in the country.

- In addition, UNHCR will support the provision of protection and assistance to the most vulnerable of the more than 313,000 IDPs and 463,000 displaced Libyans who return to their area of origin.

Target group / Beneficiaries

Target Group:

The Austrian contribution could help support: a) 25,000 refugees and asylum-seekers by ensuring they can access 3 health facilities and by providing cash assistance to 100 most vulnerable households within that group and b) 50,000 IDPs by conducting a vulnerability analysis and displacement profiling to better target and fine-tune the cash assistance provided to them.

Partners include:

national and international NGOs such as Cooperazione e Sviluppo (CESVI) and the International Medical Corps (IMC); as well as Arkan for Development, the Libyan Organization for Development (LOD), and the Libyan Humanitarian Relief Agency national (LibAid).

Location:

UNHCR and partners are supporting IDPs mainly in the area of Benghazi, Ajdabiya, Abu Salim, Al Bayda, Al Zintan.

Activities

UNHCR’s operation will focus on preventing refoulement; improving access to territory and asylum; providing humanitarian assistance (for instance, procurement of medication and medical supplies that will enable persons of concern to access public health facilities, or distribution of cash grants) and providing access to durable solutions, such as resettlement; advocating refugee protection and access to basic services; and enhancing coordination with other humanitarian stakeholders.

Context

Five years after the revolution, Libya remains politically divided and affected by heavy fighting across the country. The country is experiencing rising levels of insecurity and criminality, which creates an enabling environment for people smugglers to operate. 2016 witnessed a deterioration of the political, security and humanitarian situation in Libya. The conflict and presence of numerous non-state armed groups has created numerous obstacles in the humanitarian and development spheres, as well as, in the full realization of the human rights of Libyan citizens and migrants in the country. The city of Benghazi and its surroundings has been particularly, affected by the conflict – hundreds of thousands of displaced persons have arrived there and the resident population has been significantly burdened as a result.

Libya is also facing an economic crisis. It is heavily dependent on oil for government revenue. Countrywide fighting and unrest has meant that many of the main oil fields, export terminals and pipelines have stopped operating. Oil production since 2014 stands at only a quarter of its pre-revolution level. With world oil prices halving, government revenue has collapsed. The government’s inability to cut its huge expenditure on wages and energy subsidies has led to large fiscal and trade deficits, deep cuts in recurrent funding for basic services and maintenance, loss of foreign exchange reserves, a sharp depreciation of the Libyan dinar on the black market, a jump in inflation and a liquidity crisis. As a result, most Libyans have experienced a collapse in both their purchasing power and basic public services. Shortages of food, fuel, water, medical supplies and electricity, as well as access to education, health care and public services have worsened. For example: access to quality healthcare services has greatly diminished because of budget cuts, the growing number of the population affected, the size of the geographical area involved, the increasing number of damaged/non-functioning health facilities, and the departure of health workers.

Libya remains the main transit and departure point from North Africa towards Europe for migrants and refugees travelling as part of sixed movements. Despite limited humanitarian access, UNHCR maintains a presence in Libya and has resumed targeted registration and cash-based interventions. UNHCR, through its partners, also carries out monitoring at detention facilities run by Libyan authorities and at five disembarkation points used following rescue at sea and interception incidents.

UNHCR's financial requirements to cover the needs of refugees and IDPs in Libya as set out in UNHCR's Global Appeal Update 2017, amount to USD 27,511,466 for 2017.