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. C A U X

A refugee from Libya andhis grandson wait for anew tent to be erected.The previous one wasdamaged during a sandstorm. Remada, Tunisia.

| WORKI NG ENVI RONMEN T |

In early 2011, extensive anti-government protests spreadrapidly throughout the MiddleEast and North Africa region,causing political change in

Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, and

unprecedented unrestin other parts of the

region. In Libya,the crisis

developedinto

armed conflict, and by the endof September 2011, well over amillion people had left Libya,mainly for Egypt and Tunisiaand, to a lesser extent, otherneighbouring countries and

southern Europe. In addition,it is estimated that morethan 200,000 people becameinternally displaced within Libyaitself.

At the request of the Tunisianand Egyptian Governments,UNHCR mounted a relief effortat their borders with Libya within

the first few weeks of theemergency. Supporting

the efforts of concerned

countries to evacuate theirnationals, UNHCR charteredmore than 115 aircrafts as partof the joint IOM/UNHCR Humanitarian Evacuationoperation for third-country

nationals. Meanwhile, UNHCR and its partners in Libyacontinued to maintain telephonehotlines, and provide someassistance and counselling torefugees who were not ableto relocate or have no accessto basic services. Furthermore,UNHCR is also assisting internallydisplaced persons (IDPs) insideLibya, including through thedistribution of non-food items.

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Middle East and North Africa

It is expected that as the conditions in Libyastabilize, a large number of those displacedwill be able to return home. Efforts in 2012 willfocus on long-term solutions for the remainingpeople of concern at the Libyan borders withEgypt and Tunisia, while UNHCR will alsoendeavour to meet the protection and assistanceneeds of refugees, IDPs and returnees insidethe country. In Iraq, as of June 2011, more than amillion people were still displaced throughoutthe country, many of whom live in squalidconditions. UNHCR and the Governmentof Iraq are working on the GovernmentsComprehensive Plan to address displacement,expected to be fully operational in 2012.

UNHCRs strategy in Iraq will involvea gradual increase towards return andreintegration activities inside the country.The Government of Iraq will continue to

receive UNHCRs support to prepare theground for the safe and dignified return of Iraqis, particularly from major refugee-hostingcountries such as Jordan, Lebanon and theSyrian Arab Republic.

Yemen was no exception to popularprotest movements in the region. Largedemonstrations took place across the country,especially in the major urban areas. Theresulting violence increased displacement. Asof September 2011 some 100,000 new IDPs hadbeen registered in Aden by the Government.This is in addition to the more than 300,000IDPs from Saada Governorate in the northof the country displaced by fighting betweenGovernment forces and the Al Houthi rebels.

Despite the prolonged political instability

in Yemen, the number of new arrivals in thecountry from the Horn of Africa has increased.As of September 2011, some 72,000 people had

reached the Yemeni coast. The total numberof Somali refugees who arrived in Yemen overthe past two decades is more than 200,000.It is assumed that many of these new arrivalshave left Yemen for other destinations. Aregistration exercise is being carried out by theYemeni authorities with UNHCRs support todetermine the number of refugees who haveremained in the country. Most of these newarrivals during 2011 were Ethiopians, but therewas also a significant increase in the numberof Somalis fleeing drought and famine in theirhomeland. In 2012, assistance to refugees andIDPs will involve the provision of protectionand assistance, including shelter, non-fooditems, food, health care, water and sanitation.

The Sahrawi refugees in the Tindouf campsin Algeria continue to receive basic protectionand assistance, now with the aid of an expanded

UNHCR field presence in all camp locations.The Confidence-Building Measures (CBM)programme moved forward with the resumptionof family visits in January 2011, a reconnaissancemission by road to find an alternative to air travel,

and a first seminar with participants from therefugee camps and the Territory.

In Mauritania, refugee returns from Senegalwill resume as soon as possible, especiallyafter the agreement with the MauritanianGovernment, paving the way for the return of the residual refugees in Senegal. At the sametime, work on a national asylum law is makingsteady progress. In Morocco, UNHCR continuesto build its partnership with the Government forthe protection of urban refugees. Israel continuesto receive a significant number of migrants

and asylum-seekers from sub-Saharan Africancountries who arrive via Egypt, crossing at theSinai border.

Refugees

Asylum-seekers

Returnees (refugees and IDPs)

Stateless people

IDPs

Others of concern

N O RT H A F R I C AT H E M I D D L E E A S T

4,000,000

2,000,000

400,000

Population size

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UNHCRs budget in the Middle East and North Africa 2004 - 2013

Financial information

Since 2006, the budget for theMiddle East and North Africahas risen steadily, reaching USD621 million in 2010, mainly due togrowing needs among Iraqi refugees

in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Theinitial 2011 budget of USD 552million was increased to more thanUSD 646 million during the secondquarter of the year, mainly inresponse to the emergency in Libya,and to provide assistance to thehundreds of thousands of peoplepouring into the frontier areas of Egypt and Tunisia.

The 2012 budget for the regiontotals some USD 565 million. Beforethe Libya crisis, UNHCR operationsin Libya and Tunisia were managingrelatively small refugee populationswith limited presence and staffing.As a result of the crises, thenumber of beneficiaries, as well asassistance and staffing needs, havegrown substantially. However, thereis a reduction in the budgets forIraq and the Syrian Arab Republicdue to a reduced shelter budgetfor IDPs in Iraq and the decline in

the number of beneficiaries in theSyrian Arab Republic.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

800

Millions (USD)

Annual Programme Budget

Supplementary BudgetProgramme

Refugee programme

Stateless programmeReintegration projects

IDP projects

2013 budget

700

2012 20132004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Increase preparedness and responsecapacity to cope with new emergencies inthe region, while ensuring the basic safety of all staff Against the backdrop of current emergencies,sustained efforts will continue to be deployedin order to maintain the preparedness andresponse capacity of all UNHCRs operationsin the Middle East and North Africa. Thiswill require close monitoring of developments,updating contingency plans and buildingemergency staff capacity.

Identify and monitor protection gapsaffecting stateless persons and assisting governments to prevent and reducestatelessnessAdvocacy and capacity-building among localcounterparts and stakeholders continue to

be a priority. UNHCR will coordinate theidentification of such partners as well as

training on specific issues at the country orregional level. Support and expertise will bemobilized through sharing best practices withgovernments in the region.

| Challenges |The Middle East and North Africaregion is experiencing a period of unprecedented political and social changewhich is having a significant impact onUNHCRs humanitarian operations. Thecurrent unrest, combined with poverty,unemployment, and social inequality,could lead to a long period of instability anduncertainty.

Furthermore, ongoing irregular andmixed flows of migrants and asylum-seekers,protracted refugee situations and weak asylum

systems add to the challenges confrontingUNHCR.

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