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Highlights:
Armenia currently counts 115,358 refugees, including 36,000 children, who fled into the country in late September 2023, or were escorted through the Lachin corridor between December 2022 and September 2023, joining 26,700 displaced since the 2020 conflict.
As of 31 August, 17,186 children (0-9 years) from 11,246 households received clothing vouchers. This includes 127 refugee and local vulnerable children impacted by flash floods in May 2024 In addition, 2,397 pregnant and lactating women received pharmacy cards, and 265 children with disabilities (0-18 years) received both vouchers and cards.
31,088 children received mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), 23,928 children and caregivers accessed safe spaces and protection support, and 6,429 vulnerable children were reached with child protection case management support.
18,567children accessed educational services, including early childhood and remedial education, and 9,081 children received learning and didactic materials.
6,461 children were assessed by mobile paediatric teams; over 630 were referred to higher-level health services, including psychosocial support. 5,801 caregivers received health and nutrition childcare counselling.
UNICEF revised its humanitarian appeal for children in April 2024, seeking a total of US$ 14.3 million to continue support through 2024. Currently, US$ 8.4 million is available, leaving a 41 per cent funding gap.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
As of August 2024, the State Migration Service reports 115,358 registered refugees, including an estimated 36,000 children, who fled to Armenia following the escalation of hostilities in late September 2023 or were escorted through the Lachin corridor between December 2022 and September 2023. They joined around 26,700 people who have been displaced since the 2020 conflict. On 26 October 2023, a government decree granted temporary protection for the refugee population for the duration of a year and subject to extension to ‘persons forcibly displaced’. To date 105,785 temporary protection certificates have been granted and 3,851refugees have applied for Armenian citizenship.
A total of 30 children were identified as unaccompanied or separated from the beginning of the arrivals. Over 50 per cent of those coming from residential care institutions have been placed in family-type care. Nearly 75 percent of the refugee population are living in Yerevan and surrounding regions (Kotayk, Ararat and Armavir).
Figure 1 reflects the spatial distribution of refugees as of August 2024. According to the Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) conducted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MLSA) with the support of UNICEF, refugee families live in better conditions in Yerevan than in rural communities. Families with children are almost twice as likely to share houses with other families than those without children. Nevertheless, mobility across and outside the country continues. To ensure continuity of financial support to refugee families, the Government has extended the cash assistance for housing and communal payments until December 2024 refocusing the assistance towards living costs and basic needs to leverage the more flexible funding required to sustain this critical support. This assistance is envisioned to also target refugees displaced during the 2020 conflict, except for about 15,000 people who have availed of the Government sponsored housing scheme. The total estimated budget for this assistance from April to December 2024 is US$121 million. 93 per cent of MSNA respondents indicated cash as a preferred modality for receiving support. Following the amendments to the Law on State Benefits and State Pensions, refugees can apply for pensions and social benefits, though there
are issues in fully accessing some of the benefits related to registration challenges, regulations, and lack of proper awareness. The Government launched a housing program in June 2024 to assist around 25,000 refugee families, offering financial support for housing-related expenses, with Armenian citizenship being a requirement for eligibility. In the 2023/2024 academic year, over 17,000 refugee children were enrolled in school. No data are available for the 2024/2025 academic year yet. Concerns about potential dropout rates among adolescents due to differences in mandatory schooling remain. Additionally, many preschool-age children do not attend kindergarten. According to the MSNA 26% of surveyed families reported emotional instability. Barriers to seeking help include lack of information, financial issues, and inadequate local services.