Armenia: UNHCR Emergency Update #2 (3 October 2023) - Armenia

Situation Update

Over 100,000 refugees arrived in Armenia in just a week, with daily arrivals ranging from around 500 to over 40,000 on 27 September. Half are children (31%) or older people (18%). Government authorities are registering refugees across the country. Most refugees arrived with few belongings and require urgent assistance, including shelter and essential items, as well as medical and psychosocial support.

Both emergency and longer-term accommodation is urgently needed. The Government, together with the international and national community, are working to address the most urgent needs, while identifying longer-term response solutions (i.e. housing, livelihoods and education).

UNHCR’s Emergency Response

Protection:

UNHCR teams are monitoring Humanitarian Coordination Centres to assess needs and provide protection counselling and information to refugees. To date, UNHCR visited 11 centres in border areas and near Yerevan, where initial needs assessments revealed urgent needs among refugees, notably food, clothing, accommodation, and medicine.

UNHCR is providing technical equipment to facilitate government registration, including for mobile registration of people in hospitals, care homes etc.

Shelter and Core Relief Items (CRIs):

UNHCR is distributing locally procured core relief items (CRIs) requested by municipalities, such as foldable beds, bedding sets and blankets, near the border in Goris and Vayk municipalities, and near the capital, Yerevan.

A total of 15 trucks are en route to Armenia, bringing CRIs such as blankets, beds, kitchen sets for an estimated 7,000 refugees. A first truck already arrived on 30 September and items were dispatched to municipalities across the country.

Coordination

UNHCR is leading the inter-agency refugee response with UN Agencies and humanitarian organizations, working with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office. An inter-agency Refugee Response Plan (RRP) is being finalized in cooperation with Government authorities, together with humanitarian actors taking part in the response. A joint rapid needs assessment is also being rolled out.