Attachments
UNHCR continues its response to meet the needs of persons displaced during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and also through the extended Inter-Agency Response plan (latest plan update available here).
UNHCR launched a new Protection Strategy in December 2021. The document will guide the protection interventions and overarching operational deliveries over the course of 2022.
UNHCR Armenia finalized 30 peaceful coexistence projects and 12 projects supporting community-based organizations. About 1,500 women and children benefited from the projects.
KEY INDICATORS
5,841 displaced individuals were reached through 1,386 protection monitoring interviews from October to December 2021. Some 187 displaced persons were identified for referrals for additional assistance and access to services.
1,100 households in a refugee-like situation as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict benefited from cash assistance for winterization through UNHCR partner Mission Armenia NGO
3,900 packages of hygiene items were distributed to the persons in a refugee-like situation as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through Armenian Red Cross Society
Operational Context
On 27 September 2020, clashes broke out along the line of contact and expanded to other areas until a ceasefire statement was signed ending the Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) conflict on 9 November. Some 90,000 people displaced by the conflict fled to Armenia. It is estimated that some 36,989 persons remained in a refugee-like situation in Armenia as of July 2021. UNHCR continues to respond to the needs of these displaced people in cooperation with the Government of Armenia, also in the framework of the Inter-Agency Response Plan.
From January to December 2021, 241 asylum-seekers from Iran, Syria, India, Iraq, Jordan and other countries have applied for protection in Armenia. Documentation, housing, decent employment and livelihood opportunities remain the most pressing needs of asylum-seekers and refugees. The COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the escalation of the conflict, has aggravated the challenges associated with their difficult economic situation in Armenia.
UNHCR and partners are working toward enhancing the protection environment while providing assistance to those most at risk. UNHCR continues advocating for inclusion of persons of concern in national response plans, including COVID-19 recovery and vaccination plans and other legislative and administrative reforms.