Jakarta, 15 April 2021 – The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced today the signing of the Blueprint for Joint Action by the two agencies to safeguard the rights and wellbeing of refugee and IDP (internally displaced) children in Indonesia. The official signing took place in December 2020 in Jakarta.
With the Blueprint, UNHCR and UNICEF are committed to working effectively and efficiently with the Government to bring transformational change to the lives of refugee and IDP children and their families in the areas of education, child protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
Some of the achievements resulting from the joint initiative include the provision of psychosocial support services and responding to other needs such as clean water and sanitation for Rohingya refugee children in Aceh.
The joint advocacy includes communications and coordination with the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection to initiate the development of a “Protocol for the Special Protection for Child Refugee and International Child Refugee” for local governments and other actors working with refugees. The document highlights the importance of child protection protocols, confidentiality and other ethical concerns when working with children in refugee and IDP settings.
The draft protocol has been presented and agreed upon by other relevant ministries and government institutions such as the Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Refugee Task Force and other parties.
Commenting on this significant collaboration, UNHCR Representative Ann Maymann stated, ”Nearly 30 per cent of the total refugee population in Indonesia are children, some of whom are separated from their parents and are only accompanied by a distant relative. Others arrive completely alone and unaccompanied to this country. They are the most vulnerable individuals among the refugees and require protection and assistance in accordance with their specific situation and needs. This joint initiative with UNICEF is crucial to advance the protection of refugee children in Indonesia.”
“Refugee children are among the most at risk of being left behind globally,” said Debora Comini, UNICEF Indonesia Representative. “We need a truly coordinated and collective response to help them access the quality social services provided by the Government of Indonesia, to meet their specific needs now and over the longer term. There has never been a better time for UNICEF and UNHCR to unite our work and speak out as one.”
The UNHCR – UNICEF Blueprint for Joint Action for refugee and IDP children is part of a global initiative being rolled out in eleven countries including Indonesia, Honduras, Bangladesh, Libya, Lebanon, and Ecuador. The initiative is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and aims to work with governments to include refugees, returnees and IDP children in relevant humanitarian and development programmes and advocate for their inclusion in national services and development plans.
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About UNHCR: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting refugees, promoting rights and finding solutions for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. We work to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge, having fled violence, persecution, war or disaster at home.
For more information about UNHCR in Indonesia, visit www.unhcr.org/id. Follow UNHCR on Facebook (UNHCR Indonesia), Instagram (unhcrindonesia), and Twitter (UNHCRIndo).
For information, please contact: Mitra Suryono, Associate External Relation/ Public Information Officer; [email protected]; +622129643602.
About UNICEF: UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org. Follow UNICEF on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin.
For information, please contact: Kinanti Pinta Karana, Communications Specialist, UNICEF Indonesia, Tel: +62 8158805842, Email: [email protected]
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