Attachments
On 21 June 2024, Zambia, Japan and UNHCR co-convened a High-level Dialogue in Lusaka. The multistakeholder dialogue aimed to advance inclusive development and solutions in Zambia, aligning with the country's commitments made at the Global Refugee Forum in 2019 and 2023, and the launch of the National Refugee Policy in 2024.
Between 1 January and 31 August 2024, the Government registered a total of 10,194 individuals. These included birth registrations, new arrivals, and in-situ registrations. Of the individuals registered, a total of 6,485 were new arrivals, the majority of whom were from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In 2024, UNHCR Zambia submitted 165 individuals to the Canada, Sweden and the United States of America for resettlement consideration. So far this year, a total of 768 individuals have departed on resettlement to Australia, Canada, Finland, France, New Zealand, and the United States of America.
Operational Context
The Office of the Commissioner for Refugees (COR) in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security (MoHAIS) leads and coordinates the refugee response. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and partners support the Government’s response to forced displacement in Zambia. The 2017 Refugees Act constitutes the main legal framework governing refugee matters in Zambia.
The National Refugee Policy, approved by Cabinet in August 2023 and launched with an Implementation Plan in January 2024, reflects a central ambition of the Global Compact on Refugees to include refugees in national systems and plans. At the Second Global Refugee Forum in 2023, the Government of the Republic of Zambia made ten multi-sectoral pledges. These pledges focused on local integration, digital civil registration, livelihood opportunities, inclusion in the farmer inputs support program, full-cycle education inclusion, social inclusion, sustainable energy, national statistics, alternatives to immigration detention, and health insurance.
The National Refugee Policy paves the way for advances in the regulatory framework to improve refugee rights and find local solutions for forcibly displaced persons (asylum-seekers, refugees, and former refugees) in Zambia. The Policy is expected to trigger sectoral policy harmonization needed to develop an enabling legal and protection environment for refugees to be able to achieve self-reliance and safely participate in and contribute to the socio-economic life of the Zambian communities that host them.
Zambia is affected by a prolonged drought that was declared a national disaster and emergency by the President on 29 February 2024. The drought has affected 84 districts and impacted nine million people across essential sectors such as agriculture, water supply, energy access, and food security. Among them, over 6.5 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, underscoring the scale of the crisis.