Eritrea

Background information and achievements

At the beginning of 2005 close to 60,000 IDPs and about 10,000 expellees from rural Ethiopia were living under harsh conditions in different dilapidated camps awaiting resettlement and reintegration. To this end, a joint programme was signed between UNDP, UNICEF, WFP and the Government of the State of Eritrea on October 28, 2004. The programme aimed at returning and resettling 30,000 IDPs and expellees either to their villages of origin or in a Government designated area. (PHASE ONE)

In the first phase of implementing the joint programme, in February 2005, close to 19,000 (5,054 HH) IDPs from Adi Keshi Camp successfully resettled in their village of origin in Gash Barka Region, Western Eritrea. Owing to various reasons, however, the remaining IDPs and expellees await to be resettled.

In May 2006 a revised and expanded Joint Programme on IDPs have been signed among UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNFPA and Government to return all the IDPs camped in Gash Barka and Debub Regional Administrations including the remaining IDPs awaiting resettlement in phase one. 5079 HHs (20,000 population) have been returned to their villages of origin in April and May 2006. In 2007 4967 (20892 Population) have been returned and resettled to their communities of origin.

In preparation for the return of the IDPs, the areas of return had to be mine free assured from Eritrean Demining agency (EDA). UNDP assisted in Establishing EDA/EDO through its Mine action capacity building programme (MACBP).

Management Arrangements:

Funds for the joint programme are managed through pooled and parallel funding. In the case of pooled funding, the participating organization transfer funds allocated for the joint programme to UNDP, acting as managing agent. Other activities are carried out by parallel funding modality. UNDP is responsible for supervision and reporting of overall programme activities as a managing agent.