A Review of the Implementation of UNHCR's Urban Refugee Policy in Ecuador

UNHCR published its Policy on Refugee Protection and Solutions in Urban Areas in the year 2009. In 2012, UNHCR established an in-house Urban Refugee Steering Group (URSG), chaired by the Assistant High Commissioner (Operations) to ensure a strategic approach across the agency. Among other activities, the URSG deployed the first of several planned technical support missions to Ecuador from 2 to 12 September 2012.

his summary report provides an overview of the mission, as well as of the ‘Workshop on the situation of refugees in urban areas in Ecuador’ (Taller sobre la situacio´n de la poblacio´n refugiada en contextos urbanos), which concluded the mission and took place on 10 September 2012 in Quito with the participation of relevant stakeholders, including government counterparts, NGOs, UN sister agencies and refugees. The report also summarizes the main observations and suggestions which emerged during the mission. These observations and suggestions take into account discussions at the final workshop and have benefited from the input of UNHCR Ecuador colleagues, with a view to their operationalization and use in the upcoming prioritization of the 2013 country operations plan and planning for 2014.