UNHCR welcomes the outcome of inter-ministerial stocktaking on the Nairobi Declaration and Action Plan on Durable Solutions by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) that took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last week.
The meeting convened humanitarian and development partners who conducted a second review on the progress made since the Declaration and its Comprehensive Plan Action Plan for Somali refugees was adopted in March 2017.
The plan foresees concrete actions in the seven IGAD member states including Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia. The meeting is also supported by a dedicated core group of stakeholders which include the United Nations Development Programme, the European Union and the World Bank as well several NGOs.
UNHCR Bureau Director for the East, Horn of Africa and Great Lakes Region Ms. Clementine Nkweta-Salami who attended the meeting commended member states for developing and implementing multiyear Action Plans in their respective countries.
“A clear policy shift is emerging, moving away from refugee management regimes based on encampment to ‘out of camp’ models which optimize the potential of refugees as agents of economic development,” she said.