Attachments
| Overview |
Working environment
-
Liberia is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, the 1967 Protocol, and the 1969 OAU Convention. Liberia is also a signatory to both Statelessness Conventions.
-
UNHCR operations in Liberia revolve around two main strategies: the continued provision, in collaboration with the Government and other partners of continued protection and assistance to refugees; and the pursuit of, and support for voluntary repatriation of Ivorian refugees.
Despite occasional disturbances in the south-western border region of Côte d’Ivoire that have resulted in over 2,500 Ivorian refugee arrivals in 2013, the overall security situation in the country is foreseen to remain stable in 2014. The voluntary repatriation of Ivorians will therefore remain a priority for UNHCR in Liberia. Between 2012 and the end of 2013, the organization will have assisted some 30,000 Ivorian refugees to return. UNHCR plans to assist another 11,000 Ivorian refugees to return home in 2014. -
The main challenges facing UNHCR in the voluntary repatriation process include the concerns expressed by some refugees about the slow pace of reconciliation in Côte d’Ivoire, the sporadic episodes of insecurity in some parts of western Côte d’Ivoire, very difficult road conditions in Liberia and western Côte d’Ivoire, the long rainy season and the poor state of the trucks used by UNHCR.
-
The Government of Liberia, through the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), enables refugees to benefit from basic and essential social services, such as health care and basic education, as well as to pursue activities that strengthen livelihoods.
People of concern
The main groups of people of concern planned for in 2014 under the Liberia operation are: Ivorians who fled from Côte d’Ivoire as a result of the 2010 post-electoral crisis; and refugees and asylum-seekers from other countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Iraq, Sierra Leone, and Sudan.