Promoting Human Security Through Sustainable Resettlement
About the Project
The quest for an effective method to enable the shift from humanitarian interventions to long-term sustainable development for dealing with cases of protracted displacement is long-standing. The Government of Zambia and the United Nations (UN) in Zambia have together developed a Programme of Sustainable Resettlement, with the aim of: i) meeting the high ambitions and standards of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; ii) supporting the local integration of former Angolan and Rwandan refugees in Zambia into new communities in designated resettlement areas: and iii) supporting the local integration of youth in the Mwange resettlement scheme. This programme recognizes that successful local integration cannot be instant but must be planned and supported over time. Specifically, the program recognizes that the following transitions must be managed
This programme sets out the Sustainable Resettlement programme for Zambia and the necessary project elements for its implementation. This assistance programme is was developed soon after Zambia experienced a sad consequence of unplanned integration in urban areas, when refugees and migrants who had informally integrated in Lusaka townships for many years, became the subject of attacks on property and persons in a wave of rioting sparked by fears surrounding a series of unresolved ritualistic murders. Forty-eight hours of aggression undid years of informal integration and peaceful coexistence, and over 800 refugees from different countries of origin were relocated from Lusaka back to the two refugee settlements (Meheba and Mayukwayukwa) where they were originally registered.