danishdemininggroup.dk: North Africa: Collecting data for UNHCR

North Africa: Collecting data for UNHCR

25.03.11

More than 300,000 people have fled the conflict in Libya. The vast majority have crossed the border with Tunisia. Here, the Danish Refugee Council is cooperating with UNHCR to assist with the refugee data collection.

Since the beginning of the conflict, the Danish Refugee Council has been cooperating with the UN on managing the refugee flow into Tunisia. The Danish Refugee Council is now involved in new efforts initiated to ensure the detailed registration of refugees arriving in Shosha camp across the border in Tunisia. An employee of the Iraq Programme is working with UNHCR as part of their Refugee Status Determination (RSD) in a team interviewing those who come to the camp. Additional experts have been seconded by the Danish Refugee Council to a number of UN organisations in order to bolster support.

”There is need for efforts on many levels. This applies in Libya, but also in neighbouring countries, home to both refugees and the many guest workers who are in a sort emergency transit in Tunisia before they can travel home. Therefore, the Danish Refugee Council has from the beginning chosen to address the multifaceted assistance to the UN system. We have also expanded our presence in the region which means that we can prepare for the huge humanitarian task that lies ahead in Libya,” says Ann Mary Olsen, who heads the international department of the Danish Refugee Council.

As soon as it is safe and feasible, the Danish Refugee Council will be able to start assisting internally displaced persons in Libya and the host families in neighbouring countries. It will mainly be accomplished by distributing food and other necessities, and by establishing a kind of referral system for vulnerable groups where they through the contact with the Danish Refugee Council can receive help directly or be referred to relevant organisations.

The Danish Refugee Council foresees comprehensive needs in relation to lack of identification papers, protection against abuse and violence, and psychosocial needs. Protection efforts in the proximities of conflict areas is one of the Danish Refugee Council's core competencies, together with a historical focus on helping the vulnerable in conflict zones.

The Danish Refugee Council has a wide knowledge of the Middle East and North Africa over the years of involvement in the region – knowledge that makes it possible to work in even the most complex and unpredictable situations.

Photo by UNHRC/ A. Duclos

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