CHAPTER 9 January and December 2016 are included, although in practice operations may assist returnees for longer periods. Returned IDPs refers to those IDPs who were beneficiaries of UNHCR’s protection and assistance activities, and who returned to their areas of origin or habitual residence between January and December 2016. In practice, however, operations may assist IDP returnees for longer periods. Individuals under UNHCR’s statelessness mandate are defined under international law as those not considered as nationals by any State under the operation of its law. In other words, they do not possess the nationality of any State. UNHCR statistics refer to people who fall under the agency’s statelessness mandate as those who are stateless according to this international definition, but data from some countries may also include people with undetermined nationality. UNHCR has been given a global mandate by the United Nations General Assembly to contribute to the prevention and reduction of statelessness and the protection of stateless persons. The agency also performs a specific function, under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, in receiving claims from people who may benefit from the statelessness safeguards contained in that Convention and in assisting them and the States concerned to resolve these claims. Other groups or persons of concern refers to individuals who do not necessarily fall directly into any of these groups but to whom UNHCR has extended its protection and/or assistance services, based on humanitarian or other special grounds. SOUTH SUDAN. A FARMER SIEVES SORGHUM AT AKOBO MARKET, JONGLEI STATE. The cost of sorghum recently increased by 30 per cent, making the grain unaffordable to the conflict-affected population in South Sudan and to those returning to Jonglei State. On arrival in Akobo, returnees receive humanitarian aid including blankets, sleeping mats, plastic sheeting, mosquito nets and cooking sets from UNHCR’s partner Nile Hole. © UNHCR /ROCCO NURI UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 57

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