UNHCR’s Regional Refugee Coordinator (RRC) for the Burundi situation carried out a brief to Ambassadors and Head of delegations in Nairobi on the needs of Burundian refugees on July 6, 2018 at the invitation of the Australian High Commissioner, H.E. Ms. Alison Chartres.

From January to 30 September 2018 a total of 38,390 refugees were assisted to voluntarily repatriate to Burundi from Tanzania in 88 convoys (bringing the total from September 2017 to 52,260).

Some 411 Burundians registered for training on business skills and access to finance launched by INKOMOKO Business Development for the 2019 cohort programme. The programme aims at bolstering the capacities of refugees to run businesses and contribute economically to the communities where they are integrated.

In a historic decision, the member states of the UN General Assembly today agreed on a new international framework – known as the Global Compact on Refugees – that will transform the way the world responds to mass displacement and refugee crises, benefiting both refugees and the communities that host them.

Support scheme in Rwandan capital and elsewhere sees refugee businesses including Burundian-owned LPG store create 2,600 new jobs countrywide.

UNHCR and partners are not promoting return to Burundi, but are working with the governments involved to ensure that returns are based on the principles of voluntariness and informed decisions, and take place in safety and dignity. 58,546 Burundian refugees were assisted to return in 2017 and 2018 .

Since the start of the voluntary repatriation exercise in September 2017, a total of 63,143 individuals have been assisted to return to Burundi from Tanzania as of 31 March 2019. Of those who have registered for return, 7,760 individuals are currently awaiting departure after having had their intention to voluntarily return verified.

UNICEF & UNHCR held a Regional meeting on the Global Compact On Refugees (GCR) and application of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) in Eastern and Southern Africa (16 and 17 April 2019)

In Uganda, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) jointly released the revised 2019-2020 Uganda Refugee Response Plan (RRP). The revision is a result of an exercise of planning figures, targets and budgets with a reduced refugee population as of year-end 2018 which started last February.

Majority of Burundian refugees in Rwanda are engaged in agriculture. An average of 312 refugees per day were employed in Moringa tree plantation near Mahama refugee camp.