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Somalia GP20 Concept Note

Thematic Priorities	Durable Solutions / IDP Engagement / Law and Policy / Peacebuilding
Timeframe	2018
Stakeholders	IDPs – Host communities – Local authorities – UN agencies – Development actors

 

Problem Statement

While there are policies on displacement in place in Puntland and “Somaliland” that define basic rights of IDPs and include guidelines on evictions and relocations, at the national level there remains a near legal and policy vacuum. A process led by the then Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) Ministry of Interior and Federal Affairs (MOIFA), with support from the Protection Cluster, was initiated in 2013 to develop a Policy Framework for Displacement in Somalia. A final draft was endorsed by the FGS cabinet but its passage through parliament was stalled and later abandoned due to a reconfiguration within the Government. In August 2017, the National Commission for Refugees and IDPs (NCRI) presented a new draft “National Policy for Refugee-Returnees and IDPs” though stakeholder consultations and other milestones are yet to proceed.

 

Objective

The 20^th anniversary of the Guiding Principles and upcoming 10^th anniversary of the Kampala Convention is thus a unique opportunity to re-invigorate action to enhance IDP protection, both at grassroots and policy-level as well as in its intersections, and to work more concertedly with a broad range of stakeholders.

 

Activities

• A series of grassroots community-led events: the events would represent community-led approaches to building mutual trust, respect, and recognition by celebrating diversity and furthering peaceful co-existence, also countering the ‘commodification’ of IDPs via the gatekeepers system.

While events may take different forms, one proposal could be a youth innovation challenge on diversity, social cohesion, and community participation in which youth are challenged to organise events and develop projects and programmes that further peaceful co-existence and grassroots level inter-communal problem solving. 

• Consultations with IDP and hosting communities on a policy framework for displacement: linking these consultations to the GP20 would also provide an opportunity to underline the importance of a national policy adhering to international standards. 

• Multi-stakeholder initiative supporting relocation of protracted and drought-displaced families: local authorities, in collaboration with clusters and through engagement with IDPs and host communities, are conducting the relocation in accordance with the Puntland Policy Guidelines on Displacement, which are based on the Guiding Principles and were developed with support from OCHA and UNHCR. 

A high-level GP20 event around a visit of the UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection organized at the end of May 2018. The event would be a launching platform to formally present HCT contributions to the national policy development process and to seek agreement with the FGS and NCRI on a consultative process and timeline.

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