Jigijiga, Ethiopia 25 February 2021—UN-Habitat, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and  Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)  recently  launched the first Stakeholder Consultation meeting for assessment of gaps in the planned delivery of durable solutions for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Somali Region of Ethiopia.

“While many of the issues faced by persons affected by displacement in Somali Region include poor access to basic services, lack of adequate housing, lack of access to land and natural resources, and insufficient facilities to serve the needs caused by displacement, this exercise will help identify and prioritize the most needful intervention,” said  Ms. Oana Baloi from UN-Habitat.

Somali Region of Ethiopia hosts  895,884 climate-induced and conflict-affected IDPs in 419 displacement sites. At a national population growth of 2.6 per cent every year over 22,000 are born annually in displaced families in Somali Region only. The Durable Solutions Initiative (DSI) was developed by the Government of Ethiopia, the United Nations, international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and donors for communities affected by internal displacement in the country.  The DSI provides a principled operational framework to guide the work of all partners to support internally displaced persons to rebuild their lives in sustainable ways.

Ms. Getachew Meron Debebe, representing the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) emphasized that IDPs, host communities and local leaders will be considered and consulted as key informants in the assessment process and their views be incorporated in the Durable Solutions.

The outcome of the assessment is expected to improve the agencies’ support to the efforts of the Government of Somali Region to find durable solutions for the communities affected by climate induced and conflict induced displacement.

Mr. Mohammad Nur, the Deputy Director of the Disaster and Risk Management Bureau of the Somali region commended the partnership between agencies in the assessment citing that this will help provide the appropriate assistance to the affected population.

In 2020 the Government of Somali Region of Ethiopia, together with partners, developed a menu of options for IDPs inclusive of urban relocation, rural relocation, return to areas of origin, and local integration.  With funds from SDC, the three agencies and their partners will assess the options of durable solutions in selected locations in Somali region and replicate the approach in displacement-affected communities in other regions. The assessments will be conducted by IOM, FAO and UN-Habitat in collaboration with other stakeholders between February and April 2021.