Maputo — The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has called for renewed international commitment to finding solutions for displaced people in Mozambique.
According to Grandi, cited in Thursday's issue of the independent newsheet "Carta de Moçambique', the government has made important progress in supporting the displaced in Mozambique, while endeavoring to address the reasons that cause displacement.
More than 600,000 people displaced by islamist terrorists have now returned to their areas of origin - several of them by 2023 - but challenges remain. Many still lack basic services and adequate living conditions.
Mozambique is a pilot country under the UN Secretary-General's Agenda for Action on internal displacement, an effort to review the way the UN system responds to protracted displacement, through government-led and development-anchored approaches to long-term solutions for internally displaced people.
"Mozambique is courageously paving the way for long-term solutions for thousands of displaced families, despite the complexity of a context where both violence and disasters are driving displacement, often in already highly vulnerable communities. I urge all international partners to support these efforts so that the gains made to date are not lost', Grandi said.
On a joint visit to the country, Grandi and the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Solutions for Internally Displaced People, Robert Piper, met with Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi, and senior government officials in Maputo before visiting displaced communities in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
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In the field, they met with internally displaced people and local authorities in the districts of Pemba and Mueda, examining transitional shelters, protection initiatives and community centers and meeting women entrepreneurs with business management training.
"We need to go further, look beyond humanitarian aid and strengthen development and investment for the country - to create the conditions for lasting peace and a viable future for the displaced and those who host them', Grandi said.
"Security is fundamental. Security means security for citizens, feeling secure in their rights and having access to social security and services', he stressed. "The UN must continue to support the government's efforts to meet the needs of the people in the short and long term, while advocating for additional support for Mozambique'.
According to Grandi, more funding is needed in 2024 to protect and promote solutions for refugees and forcibly displaced families. But very few donors have responded to the appeals for the Mozambican displaced. Less than six per cent of the country's 2024 humanitarian appeal for 413.4 million dollars has been funded.
