Regional update – Southern Africa of the Congo, and is expanding engagement with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and the African Development Bank in other countries in the region. Durable solutions As borders reopen, voluntary repatriation movements have resumed, although underfunding and ongoing COVID-19 restrictions are causing delays. A harmonized assistance package enhances the safety and sustainability of return movements in the region. Planning figures for 2021 anticipated the return of some 25,000 people, mostly to Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Zimbabwe – although less than a quarter of this number had returned as of end-July. Local integration programmes are progressing in several countries, especially Namibia and Zambia where multi-year projects to sustainably integrate former refugees from Rwanda and Angola through socioeconomic inclusion are ongoing. To support the integration of former Angolan refugees across the region, UNHCR is finalizing a strategy to address delays and bureaucratic hurdles to providing documentation to former refugees and to minimize the risk of statelessness. A study on statelessness and solutions in the Great Lakes Region is underway, using the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a case study. The conclusions of the study will assist with finding solutions for this population. Resettlement continues to be constrained by COVID-19-related restrictions. Resettlement countries made approximately 5,100 places available to the region for 2021, predominantly in the United States of America. Some 883 submissions were made in the first half of 2021, and 435 people departed for resettlement. C. Financial information The comprehensive needs budget for southern Africa for 2021, approved by the Executive Committee in October 2020, amounted to $345 million. This increased to $388.51 million as of the end of July 2021, reflecting an increase of $9.9 million for the IDP situation in northern Mozambique, $20.4 million to mitigate the protection and socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19, and $13.2 million for the Central African Republic refugee emergency impacting the Congo (Republic of) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Regional activities were 36 per cent funded as of end-July. ___________________ 5