Evaluation of the protracted refugee situation (PRS) for Burundians in Tanzania

In 2008, the High Commissioner for Refugees launched a Special Initiative on Protracted Refugee Situations (PRS) to promote durable solutions and improvements in the lives of these people. The initiative focused on five situations in different parts of the world where refugees have been living in exile for long periods of time.

This evaluation focuses on the 160.000 Burundian refugees who fled to Tanzania in 1972 where they have lived in three large settlements and since grown to a group of about 220.000 people. In 2006, the Tanzanian government, who wished to close down the old settlements, asked UNHCR to reengage in order to assist the governments of Tanzania and Burundi develop and implement a lasting solution.

The overall purpose of the evaluation is to assess how effectively UNHCR has exercised its mandate in finding durable solutions, to examine the catalytic role UNHCR has played in engaging other players in the resolution of the refugee situation, and the progress made in improving the quality of life for the refugees. While this evaluation is focused on the PRS initiative in Tanzania, other similar evaluations are in the process of being conducted in other PRS locations.

The evaluation was commissioned jointly by Danida and UNHCR, and undertaken by Nordic Consulting Group during the period of May to October 2010.