Pakistan: Islamabad: In order to respond to the urgent needs of refugees in Pakistan, UNHCR is providing a four-month cash grant to the most vulnerable refugee families who are greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the programme, UNHCR is providing Rs.12,000 one-time cash assistance to the refugees across the country. Some 80,000 of the most vulnerable refugee families are being targeted for this support at this time. Over 75,000 refugee families have already received the cash assistance.

Pakistan: Islamabad: In the month of November, UNHCR Director for Regional Bureau of Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Indrika Ratwatte, visited Pakistan. Mr. Ratwatte, paid a courtesy call to Foreign Secretary, Mr. Sohail Mahmood, Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador (R) Mohammad Sadiq, Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan, Mr. Najibullah Alikhil, Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Mr. Sahibzada Muhammad Mehboob Sultan during his visit. Mr. Ratwatte, met with the Country Director of the World Bank, Ambassador of Germany and Switzerland, and the representatives of various key donors.

Pakistan: Quetta: The UNHCR Representative undertook her first visit to Balochistan in September. During her visit, she inaugurated the skills development project for refugee and local women in Quetta. She also inaugurated the state-of-the-art laboratory at the Children Hospital. The Representative interacted with male and female refugee outreach volunteers and refugee elders from different refugee villages in Balochistan. She met with the Governor of Balochistan, Justice retired Amanullah Khan Yasinzai and discussed issues related to Afghan refugees in Balochistan.

Pakistan: Islamabad: In the months of November and December, UNHCR with the support of other UN agencies and partners arranged activities to mark the 16 Days of Activism campaign.

Pakistan: Karachi: UNHCR handed over blankets, sleeping mates, jerrycans, and plastic sheets to the National Disaster Management Authority for onward distribution to Pakistani communities who were affected by floods and rainfall in Karachi and other parts of the Sindh province. UNHCR also supported Afghan refugees in Karachi.

Following general election in the Central African Republic, over 12,000 people fled into the provinces of Bas Uele and North Ubangi.

UNHCR finalized the construction of almost 1,500 emergency shelters in Ituri Province.

Over 5,300 refugees from the Central African Republic were biometrically registered in Bas Uele Province.

UNHCR distributed core relief items to over 4,500 displaced households in North Kivu Province.

In 2021, UNHCR will work to maintain the same levels of responsiveness, adaptability and flexibility in response to COVID-19, whilst strengthening resilience as staff and people of concern adjust to living and working with COVID-19 in the medium term. UNHCR published a supplementary appeal to respond to these needs.