Eritrea

As part of UN agencies efforts to support the resettlement of war affected populations, UNDP supports the smooth return of 4,453 IDPs to the communities of origin. These returned IDPs were living in camps for the past 10 years. Now, they returned to areas of Ambesete Geleba in and Fegi Merhi in Gash-Barka and Debub Regions respectively.

The programme includes the support of vulnerable families, women and children especially in ensuring adequate social service access (water, education, and food/nutrition, health) and ability to be sheltered in the immediate and long term, as well as to have access to livelihood opportunities. Moreover, in preparation for the return of the IDPs, the areas of return had to be mine free assured from Eritrean Demining agency (EDA). To this end, UNDP assisted in establishing EDA/EDO through its Mine action capacity building programme (MACBP) and make sure that reduction of land mine accidents through mine risk education and monitoring the integration capacities of host villages and viability of sustainable settlement and eventual self-sufficiency of returnees.  

The most relevant components of the programme incorporates are provision of shelter, water supply and sanitation (UNDP, UNICEF and Government), sustainable livelihood (UNDP), education, health facilities and construction of feeder roads which is most of the time implemented by the Government.

Currently, all IDPs have been returned to their communities of origin or resettled in new villages. As a result there is no any IDPs camp in the country.