Promoting Human Security through sustainable resettlement in Zambia

The quest for an effective method to enable the shift from humanitarian interventions to long-term sustainable development for dealing with cases of protracted displacement is long-standing. The Government of Zambia and the United Nations (UN) in Zambia have together developed a Programme of Sustainable Resettlement, with the aim of: i) meeting the high ambitions and standards of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ii) supporting the local integration of former Angolan and Rwandan refugees in Zambia into new communities in designated resettlement areas. This programme recognizes that successful local integration cannot be instant but must be planned and supported over time. Specifically, the programme recognizes that the following transitions must be managed: • the transition from the status of refugee to that of new permanent resident of Zambia (and possible future Zambian citizenship); • the transition of lead responsibility in Government from the Officer of the Commissioner for Refugees under the Ministry of Home Affairs, to the Department for Resettlement in the Office of the Vice President; • the transition of lead responsibility within the UN in Zambia from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with a humanitarian response, to a cross-UN approach led by the UN Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, supporting a long-term sustainable development approach; Based on the Government of Zambia’s pledge to locally integrate former Angolan and Rwandan refugees, a 3-year Local Integration strategy (2014-2016) was launched. The continuation of this strategy is the Sustainable Resettlement programme for 2017 to 2021. Based on the foregoing, the vision of the entire resettlement programme is that by 2021, communities living in the Maheba and Mayukwayukwa resettlement schemes are cohesive, productive, sustainable and fully integrated into development at all levels. This Resettlement Programme will also address challenges such as the one in April 2016, in which Zambia experienced a sad consequence of unplanned integration in urban areas, when refugees and migrants who had informally integrated in Lusaka townships for many years, became the subject of attacks on property and persons in a wave of rioting sparked by fears surrounding a series of unresolved ritualistic murders. Forty-eight hours of aggression undid years of informal integration and peaceful coexistence, and over 800 refugees from different countries of origin were relocated from Lusaka back to the two refugee settlements (Maheba and Mayukwayukwa) where they were originally registered. This recent experience highlights the need for actors supporting local integration to make plans that are thoroughly considered, including from a human security perspective and well-coordinated to achieve long-term prosperity.

Project symbol

ZMB/17/02/UND

Admin unit

CO-Lusaka

Start date

01/01/2018

End date

31/12/2019

Total allocation

200000

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

199082

Development Partners

United Nations Development Programme

Country/Countries

Zambia

Outcomes

Outcome 4: Sustainable enterprises as generators of employment and promoters of innovation and decent work