IN BRIEF
According to the Multi-Cluster Needs Assessment conducted from June to August 2019, 500,000 households reported missing at least one form of civil documentation, with female headed households particularly affected by missing documentation. Due to the lack of civil documentation, many IDPs and returnees are unable to access basic services such as education and health care, experience restrictions on their freedom of movement, are exposed to increased risk of arrest and detention, and may be excluded from recovery and reconstruction programmes. Furthermore, lack of civil documentation may increase the risk of statelessness for undocumented children. IDPs and returnees cite various challenges in obtaining civil documentation, such as the high transportation cost to access government offices in their places of origin, lengthy processing times, and difficulties in obtaining security clearance to travel and to obtain documentation.
Given the grave consequences and challenges faced by IDPs and returnees, UNHCR, in cooperation with government and civil society partners, has implemented and supported a number of projects to enable IDPs and returnees to access civil documentation.