This is a summary of what was said by the UNHCR spokesperson at today’s Palais des Nations press briefing in Geneva.

Up to 140,000 people remain displaced a year after inter-communal violence erupted in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. UNHCR stands ready to provide the Myanmar government with technical support to register all internally displaced people (IDPs) and to promote reconciliation so that voluntary returns to places of origin can eventually take place in a safe and sustainable way.

The state government and UNHCR are building temporary shelters for 70,000 displaced people. Made of locally-sourced bamboo and wood, each shelter can house eight families.

Operation Highlights

Somalia is the country generating the third highest number of refugees in the world, after Afghanistan and Iraq. UNHCR leads protection and emergency relief interventions targeting 700,000 IDPs out of a total IDP population estimated at 1.1 million and over 2,300 refugees in Somalia.

1) Political and Security

South-central:

The Representative met (separately) with the President and Mayor of Mogadishu to outline and discuss the development of a Durable Solutions Platform, which was welcomed by the government. During the discussions, UNHCR outlined the plans and achievements of the Returns Consortium to date. It was agreed to establish a dedicated group of partners to develop, in a consultative and participatory manner, a “National Return and Reintegration Framework for both IDP and Refugee Returns”.

UNHCR also continues to provide protection and assistance to refugees and asylum-seekers, including Syrians and people from sub-Saharan Africa on mixed migration routes, as well as some 60,000 people still internally displaced.

Operation Highlights

Somalia is the country generating the third highest number of refugees in the world, after Afghanistan and Iraq.

UNHCR leads protection and emergency relief interventions targeting 700,000 IDPs out of a total IDP population estimated at 1.1 million and over 2,300 refugees in Somalia.

An estimated 2 million people in Darfur and a further 300,000 in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states live without adequate durable shelter.

WHAT?

• 75% of people in need of non-food items and emergency shelter are women and children.

• In Darfur, it is estimated that 35,000 conflict & disaster affected households will require non-food items and emergency shelter assistance in 2013 as well as a further 25,000 returnee households.

• 50,000 long-term IDP households in Darfur require renewal of NFIs in 2013.

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 13 November 2012, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

In Syria, UNHCR is progressing in major effort to provide aid to up to 500,000 people by the end of this year despite recent disruptions to operations due to insecurity.