ethiopia kenya somalia uganda - redss

Durable Solutions Initiatives ReviewETHIOPIA – KENYA – SOMALIA – UGANDA

JUNE 24, 2016

Agenda for the day

Key research questions

1. Taking stock of DS initiatives in the region

2. Learning from DS initiatives for better coordination

3. Recommendations & Way Forward

Research questions

1. What is the current coordination system?

With whom does the mandate of solutions sit?

What are the elements of a system for durable solutions in the Horn of Africa?

What is the current legal and policy framework shaping the response regionally?

2. How is the coordination functioning in practice?

What is working and not working?

What is the perspective of key stakeholders on coordination?

What are the lessons learned and best practices to build on?

Is there a system in place or is the assumption misleading?Do the current initiatives amount to a durable solution system in the Horn of Africa?Are the current activities adequate? How can they be strengthened?

3. What actions are needed?

Is it possible to aim for a strengthened DS system in the Horn of Africa?

In a NutshellRegionally,

Good practices exist + to scale up: across Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda

Bottlenecks to address: an increase in initiatives (multiple visions but no coordination), unequal leadership, competing priorities between regional/national/local levels, a lack of monitoring, missing actors in the DS conversation

Practical measures required: a common learning agenda, higher attention to the regional level, providing support to local authorities and host communities.

There needs to be a common agenda to link the DS initiatives if the goal is to have acoordinated system: one that can grow by learning, by tracking progress and entry points atthe local level, with local authorities and host communities. A larger, more inclusive dialogue.

Why speak of Durable Solutions, now?

Firstly, from a national perspective, deconstructing the discourse that DS should focus on return only. Providing information on what can be done and is being done on DS.

Secondly, from a coordination perspective, bringing a regional perspective on DS to assess common strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for more consensus.

Finally, from an accountability perspective, building a learning agenda (past/present/future: what works, what can work?).

Methodology1. Key literature review

2. Key informant interviews (75 - 4 countries + HQs)

3. Scope and LimitationsConversation mainly led by/between humanitariansImbalance between Kenya/Somalia vs. Uganda/Ethiopia

Category Kenya Uganda Somalia Ethiopia Regional Total

Humanitarian 5 3 11 5 8 32

Development 1 - 1 1 3 6

Donors 5 - 5 3 - 13PrivateSector/Foundations

- - - - 3 3

Academics 2 1 2 1 8 14

Government 1 - 1 - 1 3CSOs 2 1 1 - - 4

Total 16 5 21 10 23 75

1. Taking Stock of DS efforts in the East & Horn of Africa

DEFINING THE LANGUAGE ON DURABLE SOLUTIONS

The most common terms across all interviews were the twin words: • Durable and transitional• Coordination and capacity• Sequence and action• Evidence and strategy

The language has to speak to all sides: agreeing on terms.

How to differentiate the 14 Durable Solutions initiatives? A typology

BROAD BASED LEADERSHIP

IDP Solutions Initiative

Solutions Alliance

ReHOPE Uganda

LOCAL AREA-BASED INITIATIVES

Ethiopia’s Out of Camp Policy

UNHCR WB Turkana

Kalobeyi Initiative

Koboko

DAFI

LEARNING FOR COORDINATION

Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS)

Joint IDP ProfliingService (JIPS) Profiling in Somalia / Somaliland

FINE TUNING

Voluntary Repatriation of Somali Refugees

Somalia Return Consortium (SRC)

Global Initiative for Somali Refugees (GISR)

SomaliaLINKAGES WITH DEVELOPMENT

Vision for the NDP includes resilience/DS

Advocacy ‘displacement as development’

IDP solutions initiative: leadership from UNSG and RC/HC

Solutions Alliance Somalia: leadership from humanitarian-development dialogue

Testing a results chain?

EXPLORING LOCAL INTEGRATION

The local lens balances the leadership from the top:

The IDP solutions initiatives strength is in

- The local linkages

- The focus on local integration for IDPs

- The innovation component + participatory methods

Planning DS in a context where access and mobility are reduced. IDP as a priority in an insecure context.

EthiopiaALTERNATIVES TO CAMP SETTINGS

Gains from the Out of Camp Policy remain timid and uncertain

Stakeholders prepared to revive efforts?

Alternatives to camp must remain a priority, OCP presents a pilot to be further tested –existing evidence-base to fine-tune the policy

Next step: advocacy and learning

NEGOTIATIONS WITH GOVERNMENT

On-going negotiations on a Solutions Strategy

Strong focus of

-UNHCR

-Donors

-Government

Next step: bringing in civil society, private sector actors

Sustained efforts needed for urban programming/development for alternatives to camps and to migration.

UgandaLOCAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

The right to engage in gainful employment and the freedom to move as enshrined in the Geneva convention

Success:

- Humanitarian-development linkage

- Host-refugee interactions

Naturalization a bottleneck to local integration.

FERTILE GROUND FOR INNOVATION

Legal advocacy and planning are key priorities in a welcoming context for refugees

Need to adapt to the aspirations and expectations of a largely protracted population

Key: building an innovation ecosystem in Uganda for refugees

A common coordination system on livelihoods and adoption of the ReDSS framework + partnerships with and advocacy by CSOs

KenyaNATIONAL SECURITY DISCOURSE

Static discourse focused on refugee-security nexus – to be disproven

Deconstructing the discourse will take focus and time, through learning and evidence

Lack of monitoring of impact of donor/international community support to the Kenyan government has limited the evidence

LOCAL AND TRANSITIONAL SOLUTIONS

A hidden best practice:

- Opportunities at the county level

- Informal economic integration

- Devolution as an opportunity for transitional solutions: taxation of refugee businesses to support budgets of marginalized counties, health and education as entry points for services

- Soft power of subnational advocacy

Cross-border coordination to be agreed upon. Investing in transitional solutions at county level.

Coordination: How do regional/national initiatives come together?

The current lack of coordination between initiatives can be summarized in 5 key points:

1. Missing links with humanitarian cluster and development plans

2. Government leadership varies with national pressures

3. Membership of CSOs is lacking

4. Academics are involved ad-hoc

5. Private sector and foundations are present in Kenya/Uganda, absent in Ethiopia/Somalia

Synergies with On-going Global Dialogue1. Washington DC – UNSG, WB President, INGOs

◦ Harmonizing data & evidence

◦ Joint engagement (multi-year)

◦ Financing instruments

2. London – WB, DFID, UNHCR◦ Thematic focus: local systems, host communities, economic

growth and impactful financing

3. Istanbul – World Humanitarian Summit

4. New York – September 19-20, 2016◦ Addressing large movements of refugees and migrants

◦ Global Principles

◦ Strengthen Global Response

◦ Secure Commitments

The EU Trust Fund for Africa

The Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) Statements and leadership by the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

National Development Plans

New Deal processes

Regional commitments

2. Learning from DS Initiatives – A Toolbox for a DS System in the region

THEORY OF CHANGE

• Challenges• Recommended activities• Outputs• Outcomes• Desired Impact• Goal

ENTRY POINTS

• Sequencing approaches to follow guidelines• Layering initiatives using a spatial approach: local to regional• Integrating advocacy, capacity and coordination as key priorities of

DS strategies:• Academia• CSOs• Private sector• In addition to: humanitarian, development, government.

Toolbox: What do solutions look like in 2016?

Somalia

Emergency setting, conflict transition to post-conflict,

Efforts to mainstream migration/displacement into

development;

# of initiatives that are technical (SAS) and local (RC/HC/Kaelin initiative).

Focus on IDPs in durable solutions with both returns

and local integration as durable solutions.

Kenya

Protracted refugee setting in a context of devolved government;

Return as the main durable solution with the Tripartite Agreement and

returns directive;

On-going IDP caseload to be mainstreamed in development plans.

Focus on refugee returns as the key durable

solution.

Ethiopia

Protracted refugee setting with opening

initiatives for one caseload – Eritrean

refugees – under the lead of the government.

Exploring out-of-camp alternatives, and local

integration pilots for the specific Eritrean

caseload.

Uganda

Protracted refugee setting integrated into national development

plans;

IDP response gaining ground through technical

(legal) and local entry points.

Local integration as a durable solution.

3. Recommendations and Way Forward

1 / INITIATE A REGIONAL COORDINATION ON DS TO SUPPORT COUNTRY INITIATIVES

“The need for a regional political support, to build on gains, and prevent national pressures, elections or chronic events to impact the process of durable solutions.” – e.g. AU, IGAD initiatives

“Raising awareness of local integration practices as viable and beneficial options for both hosts and displaced” – e.g. self-reliance, local economic development, through an ecosystem approach: a depressed area will not provide opportunities for entrants. Propelling the private sector, looking at entrepreneurship as service provision and at community-based livelihoods will be key to local integration as a win-win solution.

KEY: Solutions are needed that are not so narrowly focused on mandates but on local needs – including transitional solutions, area-based/local solutions


2/ STRUCTURE THE LEARNING AGENDA ON DS BY INTEGRATING ACADEMIA, THINK TANKS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR

How to measure outcomes and increase accountability for DS? Needs to be asked at the onset, building a learning agenda to track progress.

• A common approach to testing indicators and frameworks• Tracking of gains, entry points, challenges• Create the space for these discussions: dialogues, conferences• Pair international and regional/national experts

KEY: Learning requires that lessons are absorbed, and interventions strengthened through a feedback mechanism. Pilot approaches, learn from them, integrate them.


3/ ENGAGE WITH LOCAL AUTHORITIES, DISPLACEMENT AFFECTED COMMUNITIES AND CSOs TO STRENGTHEN LOCAL SOLUTIONS AND SAFEGUARD THE LOCAL PERSPECTIVE

Civil society has a strategic role to play:- Positioned to support direct engagement of local authorities and

displacement-affected communities- Ownership for sustainable impact- Provide locally relevant and feasible solutions

Clarify role of CSOs:- Service delivery- Monitoring of the rights of the displaced- Advocating for their rights

Address current constraints faced by CSOs.

KEY: Better integrate CSOs in funding & DS initiatives


4/ INTEGRATE TECHNICAL SPECIALISTS FOR CONTEXTUALIZED SOLUTIONS

Working with non-traditional actors:- Trade unions- “Other” ministries / government representatives- Slum dweller associations- Urban planners and architects- Labor market specialists- Lawyers- Linguists and multilingual education experts

For an impact on:- Laws- Service delivery- Capacity building and capacity development- Turning communities into agents of change

KEY: Technical experts should be reached out to – locally – to join DS initiatives and discussions.


5/ DEVELOP CAPACITY ACROSS ALL STAKEHOLDERS

Tools and frameworks exist…but are not sufficiently known• ReDSS Framework• JIPS/IDMC training materials and interagency work• Think tanks to be supported to ask key questions: What is failing in

the DS effort? What has worked? What is scalable?Key: for stakeholders to speak the same language on DS

6/ ENGAGE DONORS DIFFERENTLY

Humanitarian and development donors, together, have a role to play :• Provide predictable political and financial support to countries and

communities in the region that host refugees and IDPs• Channel funding differently: ensure close coordination with resilience

initiatives and support early onset solutions planning• Strengthen DS understanding and capacities of NGOs• Ensure partnerships result in transferring skills and knowledge

Key: Influencing coordination through funding / from the top


7/ MAINTAIN A RIGHTS- AND NEEDS-BASED APPROACH TO SOLUTIONS FOR THE DISPLACED

As the dialogue and space for DS opens up to new actors, the fundamentals should not be forgotten:

• 1951 Refugees Convention and the 1967 Protocol• IASC Framework on Durable Solutions for IDPs

To ensure that the displaced are in a position to:• Make a voluntary and informed choice• Participate in the planning process for DS• Have access to humanitarian and development actors• Have access to monitoring mechanisms• Benefit from the support of peace processes• Have a positive role to play locally.

Thank you

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