Turkana, 11 July 2016-- UN-Habitat and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This MoU, signed by UN-Habitat’s Director of Regional Office for Africa Prof. Oyeyinka Oyebanji and UNHCR Country Representative for Kenya Mr. Raouf Mazou, will endorse on-going UN-Habitat’s contribution to a development of a new settlement hosting both refugees and host communities in Turkana County, Kenya.

The MoU provides a framework for cooperation between the two UN agencies. The two UN agencies will collaborate on development and implementation of the spatial planning and infrastructure design of new settlement under the Kalobeyei Integrated Socio-Economic Development Programme (KISEDP), an initiative led by County Government of Turkana and that brings together government agencies, humanitarian and development actors and bilateral agencies.

The KISEDP aims to re-orient the refugee assistance program to contribute to improved socio-economic conditions of the refugee and the host communities, reduce over-dependence on humanitarian aid and enhance opportunities for durable solutions while embracing the “leave no one behind” principle envisaged in Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

The partnership brings meaningful impact to “Delivering as One” under the United Nations Development Assistance Framework for Kenya (UNDAF) and will significantly contribute to the humanitarian dimensions of urbanization and sustainable development. UN-Habitat’s support to the programme is courtesy of funding from the Government of Japan.