Measures approved to tackle root causes of irregular migration in the Horn of Africa
This package of 10 actions was decided today by the second Operational Committee meeting of the Horn of Africa region of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. It complements 10 previously adopted actions amounting to €253 million for the Horn of Africa region which were approved on 16 December 2015. Together, these actions improve the implementation of the commitments to manage migration made by the EU i and African partners, in an Action Plan adopted at the Valletta Migration Summit in November 2015.
Of the adopted actions for the Horn of Africa, €81 million have already been contracted, including for a regional project to fight against the trafficking of human beings and smuggling of migrants (€40 million), an action to create employment opportunities in Ethiopia (€20 million), and actions to support the implementation of the peace agreement in South Sudan (€21 million).
What is the logic behind actions adopted by the Horn of Africa window of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa?
In the Horn of Africa, the implementation of the EU Emergency Trust Fund focuses on two main aspects: 1) migration and displacement and 2) peacebuilding and conflict prevention.
Firstly, the Trust Fund will tackle the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement by improving conditions for refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and their host communities, creating durable solutions to address refugees' long-term development needs. It also aims to strengthen migration management in support of High Level Dialogues, both at a bilateral level and at regional level, including areas such as the fight and prevention of human trafficking and smuggling.
Secondly, Trust Fund actions will focus on internal conflicts, as well as high-risk areas such as cross-border regions which are also migrant transit routes. They will identify key areas prone to violent extremism at local level, and introduce targeted interventions addressing grievances arising from social, economic and political marginalisation and exclusion.
How does the EU define Trust Fund actions for the Horn of Africa?
Actions are targeted, both geographically (focusing on areas of origin and transit of irregular and forced migration, as well as in areas facing particular stabilisation challenges) and by population (prioritising refugees, IDPs, returnees and hosting communities, as well as potential migrants and populations particularly vulnerable to localised conflict, including violent extremism). All proposed actions are people-centred and take into account all possible impact on conflict dynamics, in order to avoid unintended negative consequences. To meet these standards, all actions draw upon the most updated research and evidence available to ensure maximum positive impact is achieved to address instability, irregular migration and forced displacement. The identification and formulation of actions is based on data and policy-relevant knowledge actions will also be supported by a strong monitoring and evaluation framework.
Summary of the projects announced today:
Regional actions
Regional Development and Protection Programmes (€60 million):
Three actions in Ethiopia (€30 million), Sudan (€15 million) and Kenya (€15 million) will implement innovative approaches to improve the living conditions of Eritrean and Somali refugees (as well as other refugee groups) and their host communities. The actions will address the long-term development and protection needs of these groups along the following three components: (1) improved livelihoods, service delivery and social cohesion; (2) strengthened capacity building to local authorities to develop an integrated approach towards refugees and host communities; and (3) improved protection space, including access to and provision of basic rights and services.
Geographically, the actions will prioritise the following geographical areas: in Ethiopia, the Shire region (host to a large number of Eritrean refugees), Afar and Somali (host to a large number of Somali refugees); in Sudan, the states of Kassala and Khartoum (host to a large number of Eritrean refugees); in Kenya, a new integrated settlement in Kalobeyei, in the Turkana region (host to a large number of Somali and South Sudanese refugees).
Legal migration and mobility (€10 million):
This regional action will contribute to the creation of new, and the improvement of existing, avenues for legal migration and mobility between the countries of the region. It will provide support for the negotiation, conclusion and implementation of regional Protocols on free movement of persons and on livestock corridors, with the aim of enhancing opportunities for better labour mobility and economic development within the region. This action will be implemented in complementarity with the Better Migration Management (Support to the Khartoum Process) project, approved by the Operational Committee of 16 December 2015.
Capacity building to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development IGAD (€5 million):
This action will aim at strengthening Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)'s ability to promote resilience, by building its capacity to implement its regional resilience strategy more effectively, as well as at contributing to the upgrading of IGAD's administrative and financial systems, in line with international standards.
National actions
Promoting a culture of tolerance and dialogue in Somalia (€5 million):
This action will address instability and violent extremism in Somalia as a main driver of forced displacement both within the country and beyond its borders. It will do so by facilitating community outreach and promoting a culture of tolerance, dialogue and peaceful values, as well as supporting the efforts of the Federal Government to develop a policy for countering violent extremism. This action will be implemented across Somalia, with a focus on areas where the EU is already investing in basic service delivery and livelihoods.
Creation of economic opportunities in Kenya (€12 million):
This action will contribute to increased stability in marginalised areas of the Coast and the North East, where particular grievances held by the vulnerable populations, in particular youth, increasingly contribute to conflict and tensions. It will do so by creating sustainable livelihoods opportunities for youth: on the one hand, through the provision of technical and vocational training and basic service delivery and, on the other hand, through confidence building between marginalised communities and local authorities.
Implementation of the Special Measure for Sudan (€25 million):
Two measures for East Sudan (€12 million) and West Darfur (€7 million) will aim to strengthen community resilience, social cohesion and peacebuilding in areas affected by flows of returnees from Chad (in the case of West Darfur) as well as areas affected by internal displacement and refugee flows (in the case of East Sudan and West Darfur). They will do so by improving access to and quality of health services, whose absence is recognised as one of the main push factors of forced displacement in these areas.
Finally, an action for East Sudan and the Transitional Area of Blue Nile (€6 million) will aim at improving the capacity of central and local authorities to collect, analyse and disseminate data and evidence on food security, in order to better inform decision-making processes on project design and at policy level. By improving the quality of decision-making on food security, it is expected that the project will contribute to more effectively building the resilience of vulnerable populations.
The new actions adopted today follow the introduction of 20 new measures worth €280 million for the Sahel region and Lake Chad Basin region decided last week. They will focus on targeting areas of origin and transit of migrants, with a specific focus on refugees and primary and secondary movements, as well as on supporting partner country's efforts to improve their migration management. They will be implemented jointly by the European Commission and EU Member States, in full partnership with African partners.
For more information:
IP/16/1615: EU has today announced new actions to tackle irregular migration and forced displacement in the Horn of Africa
EU Emergency Trust Fund Horn of Africa web page
Annex 1
Proportion of the EUTF support allocated to irregular migration and displacement, and to peacebuilding and conflict prevention programmes
Distribution of the EUTF support to tackle irregular migration and displacement by priority areas
Distribution of the EUTF support to address peacebuilding and conflict prevention by priority areas
MEMO/16/1616
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