Dakar — The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) hosted a workshop in Dakar focused on strengthening the emergency preparedness and response capacities of local humanitarian actors in francophone countries. Held from August 19 to 21, 2024, this workshop was part of the French-speaking cohort of the eCentre for Africa - a new learning platform - which brought together participants from eleven francophone countries and representatives.
The eCentre for Africa is managed by UNHCR's Division of Emergency, Security, and Supply, and aims to empower local authorities and non-governmental organizations by enhancing their ability to manage emergencies effectively. The initiative builds on the success of a similar platform established for the Asia and Pacific region.
"We continue to witness an escalation of forced displacement in the West and Central Africa region, where more than 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict", said Xavier Creach, Deputy Director for UNHCR Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa. "In this context, the issue of localization is crucial. It's not just about being more responsive, it's about being closer to the people we serve, especially in a region where humanitarian access depends heavily on those with in-depth local knowledge" he added.
Over the past years, UNHCR has been actively engaged in numerous emergencies across Africa, many of which have occurred in francophone countries. Africa currently hosts nearly 42 million forcibly displaced and stateless people, accounting for one-third of the global displaced and stateless population. In the past three years, UNHCR has responded to nearly 150 emergency situations, more than half of which were in Africa.
In 2023 alone, UNHCR declared 43 emergency situations in 29 different countries, marking the highest number of emergency declarations in the last decade. Out of these, 30 were declared in 16 African countries, reflecting the agency's deep commitment to collaborating with governments and partners to deliver essential aid and protection services in ongoing humanitarian crises, particularly in Chad, the Sahel region, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where renewed conflicts have displaced millions of people.
The workshop in Dakar is the second major event under the eCentre for Africa platform, following the initial session held in May in Nairobi for the English cohort. Participants for the French-speaking cohort have been selected based on their country's emergency risk level, involvement in refugee situations, and need for strengthening national capacities in emergency response.
The program includes a series of capacity-building workshops and online follow-up sessions, focusing on primary themes like Leadership in Emergencies, Humanitarian Negotiations, and Emergency Preparedness and Response. Participants are engaging in activities designed to enhance leadership competencies, including crisis management, decision-making under pressure, effective communication, and strategic planning in emergency situations.
The eCentre for Africa is funded by the Government of Japan, which has shown strong support for enhancing humanitarian response capacities. "Japan's cooperation with friendly African countries strongly promotes ownership and South-South cooperation. I am pleased to see that this ICR initiative is in line with this. The theme of this workshop is directly related to strengthening human security, one of the objectives of Japan's cooperation in Africa and one of the pillars of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD)", said Mr. Shinichi Hirose, Adviser, Deputy Head of Mission for the Embassy of Japan in Senegal.
The eCentre for Africa encourages collaboration and networking among participants from diverse backgrounds and regions. This approach helps build a community of practice where humanitarian actors can share knowledge, resources, and best practices. The workshop also includes an online community of practice, allowing continuous exchange of information and support among participants. The training program aims for long-term impact by equipping participants with tools and resources for ongoing professional development.
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"Leadership in emergency situations is crucial because it greatly contributes to the success of humanitarian interventions and negotiations. All the points were highly significant, and for me the one on emotional intelligence stood out", said Myriam Lungren, Project Coordinator at the Christian Relief and Development Organization (CREDO), Burkina Faso. As of June 30, 2024, over 1.4 million people are forcibly displaced in Chad, more than 3.2 million in the Sahel and over 7.8 million in DRC, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated humanitarian response and support.
In addition to the ongoing workshop in Dakar, the eCentre for Africa plans to continue its capacity-building efforts with further workshops and online sessions, ensuring that local humanitarian actors are well-equipped to respond to emergencies across the continent.
