Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Other Groups or People of Concern In addition to the individuals falling under the categories of forcibly displaced or stateless, UNHCR may provide protection and assistance to a number of other individuals ‘of concern’, based on international agreements, other regional documents, or General Assembly resolutions. Typical examples include returned refugees who remain in need of UNHCR assistance to be locally integrated beyond one year after their arrival, host populations affected by large refugee influxes, and rejected asylum-seekers who are deemed in need of humanitarian assistance. In 2017, there were 1.6 million people reported under this category, twice as many as a year earlier. The largest group of such individuals was hosted by Afghanistan, where a large number of refugees from earlier years who had returned through the UNHCRassisted voluntary repatriation programme (448,000) remained of concern to UNHCR during their initial phases of reintegration. UNHCR assisted these returnees through the provision of cash grants and via reintegration projects in the reporting period. In terms of country of origin, the largest increase during 2017 was due to the situation in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (345,600). There, the challenging security situation, the loss of income as a result of the current economic situation, and shortages of food and medicines compelled a large number of people to leave their country during the year. Some countries in the Latin American region have put in place arrangements outside the formal asylum system for Venezuelans to reside for an extended period (one to two years), with access to work and social services. These arrangements include temporary residence permits, labour unhcr > Global trends 2017 migration visas, humanitarian visas, and regional visa agreements. By the end of 2017, host countries reporting large numbers of Venezuelans in this category included Chile (84,500), Colombia (68,700), Argentina (56,600), Panama (48,900), Ecuador (41,000), Peru (31,200), Brazil (8,500), and Uruguay (6,200). Among other activities, UNHCR assisted them directly or indirectly through provision of material assistance, legal counselling, registration, and access to documentation. Other countries where the other populations of concern increased considerably during the year were Chad (99,100), due to a large number of returnees from Nigeria and Niger identified as in need of assistance; Guatemala (62,200), where additional deportees and people in transit were estimated to have protection needs in 2017; and South Sudan (10,000), where UNHCR was beginning to assist people at risk of statelessness by providing cash and legal counselling in age assessment and nationality application. As in earlier years, other population groups remaining of concern to UNHCR were Ugandan nationals residing in refugee-hosting communities (180,000) who benefited from UNHCR assistance in terms of education, health, and sanitation; former Burundian refugees who were naturalized in Tanzania (168,600) but were still residing in refugee settlements (Katumba, Mishamo, and Ulyankulu); and Filipino Muslims (80,000) who settled in Malaysia’s Sabah State. In 2017, 59 UNHCR offices reported data on other people of concern, compared with 47 the previous year. ■ 55