UNHCR has published a Handbook for Repatriation and Reintegration Activities to assist UNHCR and partner staff to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate repatriation and reintegration activities. It replaces the agency's Operational Framework for Repatriation and Reintegration Activities.
The new Handbook translates the Repatriation, Reintegration, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (the 4Rs) component of the High Commissioner's Framework for Durable Solutions for Refugees and Persons of Concern (announced in May 2003) into an operational tool for the field. It incorporates latest thinking on transition issues by drawing on the work of the UN Development Group/Executive Committee for Humanitarian Affairs (UNDG/ECHA) Working Group on Transition Issues and the experiences of UNHCR, sister UN agencies and other partners. The Handbook reflects the many field experiences in the 4Rs pilot countries - Afghanistan, Eritrea, Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka - as well as lessons learned during the eight country operations (Afghanistan, Angola, the Great Lakes, the Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Timor Leste) which were reviewed by the working group in 2003.
The Handbook indicates UNHCR's strong commitment to joint assessments, planning and implementation with governments, sister UN agencies, donor agencies, multilateral institutions, NGOs and other partners. We increasingly realise that in the absence of such joint efforts, reintegration programmes may generate a great deal of activity but will not lead to lasting post-conflict recovery.
UNHCR hopes the Handbook will:
The Handbook has three sections:
Part A explains the broader context within which repatriation and reintegration take place and how they relate to UNHCR's core mandate, the 4Rs and transition and development processes. It provides an overview of different humanitarian and development planning tools and processes and suggests how to link them to reintegration. Transition issues and associated challenges are set out.
Part B provides guidance on how to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate repatriation and reintegration activities based on the 4Rs programme concept. It emphasises the need for early commencement of reintegration planning and the importance of partnership with beneficiary communities, governments, UN agencies, donors, civil society organisations and the private sector on an integrated, area-based and participatory approach.
Part C discusses institutional support mechanisms, information management and the need to establish support mechanisms in the early stages of repatriation and reintegration operations.
The full text of the 265-page handbook is available online at www.unhcr/ch and will soon be available on CD-ROM. To complement the Handbook, training materials will be developed and a series of training workshops conducted. There are plans to establish a knowledge network on reintegration issues in order to promote mutual learning and the sharing of experiences among all partners. Readers and field practitioners who use the Handbook are invited to share their views and experiences with the Reintegration and Local Settlement Section of the Division of Operational Support, UNHCR, PO Box 2500, 1211 Genève 2 Dépôt, Switzerland. Email: smalik@unhcr.ch; HQTS02@unhcr.ch