To address Southern Africa's pressing issues of fragility, forced displacement and climate resilience, the African Development Bank, jointly with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, co-hosted an inaugural technical meeting on 'Forced displacement, Fragility Mitigation, and Climate Resilience' on 26-27 October in Pretoria, South Africa.
The meeting sought to strengthen the inclusion of refugees and other forcibly displaced and stateless individuals in national and regional development plans, programmes, and strategies. The approach entails mitigating fragility risks, managing disasters effectively, responding to climate change challenges, and adapting approaches for resilience-building.
Southern Africa faces a range of vulnerabilities, including socio-economic issues, conflicts, and the increasing impact of climate change. Out of the 16 countries of SADC, nine countries in this region are among the least developed countries, with some undergoing transitions to middle-income economies.
The meeting recognised conflict and climate change as critical drivers of forced displacement, including across borders, straining the capacities of host countries and communities. Within the region, the Democratic Republic of the Congo faces the largest internal displacement crisis in Africa, with 6.8 million people internally displaced. In Mozambique, there are about one million internally displaced. SADC member states host 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers, including many of the more than one million Congolese refugees and asylum seekers in countries within and outside the region, as reported by UNHCR.
The discussions emphasized the need for a shared understanding of the interconnections between forced displacement, fragility mitigation, and climate resilience. Participants identified that the region's development is hindered by these interconnected challenges, which require multifaceted regional preventive approaches to build resilience at both national and regional levels.
The meeting took place at the Bank's Southern Africa Regional Office in Pretoria. Twelve of the 16 SADC Member States were represented at the director level. Member states present included Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Mr. Anderson Banda, Director, SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC), led the SADC Secretariat delegation, while the African Development Bank delegation was led by Ms. Leila Mokaddem, Director General of the Southern African Regional Office (RDGS), and included Dr. Yero Baldeh, Director of the Transition States Coordination Office (RDTS). The UNHCR delegation was led by Mr. Valentin Tapsoba, Director of the Regional Bureau for Southern Africa. It included Mr. Sajjad Malik, UNHCR Director of the Division of Resilience and Solutions.
Key outcomes and decisions:
The need to establish a holistic and integrated SADC-led program (driven by Member States) on forced displacement, fragility mitigation, climate resilience to include the cross-cutting issues of gender, children, persons with disabilities, youth, and human capital development.
Obtaining endorsement from relevant SADC ministers (climate, forced displacement) through a High-Level Ministerial forum to obtain formal adoption of the Joint Program and its subsequent mainstreaming into SADC regional programs and Member States' policies.
Strengthening regional and national capacities for disaster risk responses.
Tailor opportunities for SADC-led regional cooperation to strengthen the inclusion of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons in national development plans while mainstreaming fragility mitigation, disaster, and climate change response and adaptation for resilience at the sub-national, national, and regional levels. Provide technical assistance support to countries to harmonize approaches and share best practices.
Establishing a Regional Platform and Community of Practice for Member States to share experiences and best practices on forced displacement, fragility mitigation, and climate resilience and to foster decision-making and interventions based on quality data, research, and evidence.
The meeting mandated the African Development Bank to explore options to support the Joint Programme, including identifying financing instruments and mechanisms. It called on the Bank to explore the possibility of convening a Donor Roundtable involving the private sector.
Delegates from SADC Member States at the SADC-AfDB-UNHCR 1st Joint Technical Strategic Meeting on Forced Displacement, Fragility Mitigation and Climate Resilience in Southern Africa held at Offices of the African Development Bank, Pretoria, South Africa, 26-27 October 2023 (Source, AfDB)
Contact:
AfDB: Erick Mariga: Regional Fragility and Resilience Coordinator, Transition States Coordination Office, Email: [email protected]
SADC: Nana Dlamini, Liaison Officer, Disaster Risk Response (DRR), SADC, Email: [email protected]
UNHCR: Gloria Muhoro: Senior Development Officer, UNHCR, Regional Bureau for Southern Africa, Email: [email protected]
