€170 million to tackle the root causes of instability, irregular migration and forced displacement in the Horn of Africa

To help tackle the root causes of instability, irregular migration and forced displacement in the Horn of Africa, the European Commission has adopted a new set of programmes today. The package of 11 measures is worth €170 million and was decided by the third Operational Committee meeting of the Horn of Africa region of the EU Trust Fund for Africa. It complements 24 previously adopted actions amounting to €436.5 million for the Horn of Africa, which were approved in three packages in December 2015, April 2016 and October 2016.

Of the previously adopted actions for the Horn of Africa, €204 million have already been contracted. Among these are national projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda, and four regional projects.

Summary of the projects announced today:

Regional actions covering multiple countries in the Horn of Africa

The project "Collaboration in Cross-Border Areas" (€63.5 million) targets three remote cross-border areas that are vulnerable to instability and forced displacement across Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan. Activities will include improved access to finance, advice and technical assistance to help vulnerable households develop business opportunities in livestock, dairy and crop markets. The project will have a particular emphasis on cross-border collaboration in the areas of conflict prevention, resolution and peace-building; the promotion of economic development and greater resilience; and improved border management.

A "Regional Operational Centre in support of the Khartoum Process and AU-Horn of Africa Initiative", worth €5 million, aims to enhance the capacity of regional authorities to understand irregular migration flows better and to develop common strategies as well as shared tools to fight trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants. For example, through trainings conducted in the region to liaison officers and other actors such as judges.

The cross-regional "Facility on Sustainable and Dignified Return and Reintegration in support of the Khartoum Process" (€25 million) will contribute to the return and reintegration of migrants in targeted partner countries of origin, transit and destination; for example, through capacity building to countries' authorities, pre-return activities such as medical check-ups or counselling, or providing education and jobs to returnees and the communities they are returning to. This activity will benefit the whole Horn of Africa region and complements support to the Khartoum Process, a dialogue between countries of the Horn of Africa and Europe focusing on human trafficking and smuggling.

Actions in individual countries

In response to the recent influx of forced migration due to instability in South Sudan, a "Support Programme to the Refugee Settlements and Host Communities in Northern Uganda" (€10 million) under the Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP) will scale up an on-going project in Uganda aiming to sustainably address the developmental needs of South Sudanese refugees and host communities in Northern Uganda. This will be done through support to improving their living conditions by enhancing food security, intercommunity dialogue and conflict prevention, and provision of basic services such as education, water and sanitation.

In Djibouti, "Enhancing youths' professional skills and increasing the institutional capacity for sustainable employment in the transport-logistics-port sector in Djibouti" (€10 million) will provide technical and vocational training as well as job placement counselling to 3,000 youth and women, of whom 75% are expected to have found employment within 6 months of the training. It includes the setting up of a dedicated training centre, with a view to putting in place a dialogue between the government and the private sector on how to best match supply and demand.

"Support for the creation of employment opportunities and skills development in Eritrea" (€13 million) aims to create an enabling environment for employment creation for young people. It will do so in particular through multiple vocational training actions and development of entrepreneurial skills in manufacturing sectors of the economy, and through supporting the development of national labour policies and the creation of a more conducive business environment.

"Conflict prevention, peace and economic opportunities for youth in Kenya" (€2 million) will complement an existing project in Kenya aiming to increase stability in at-risk communities of the Coastal Region and North East areas, and will focus on the provision of sustainable agricultural employment opportunities for vulnerable youth and women.

Three measures have been approved to continue supporting vulnerable groups in Sudan, aiming to tackle instability and forced displacement by strengthening their resilience. The first aims to enhance the nutrition of 400,000 women and children, as well as reduce stunting, in vulnerable households in North-Eastern Sudan (€8 million). The second will contribute to the strengthening of livelihoods of vulnerable rural smallholders and pastoralists in main livestock production areas of Southern and Eastern Sudan (€9 million). A third measure (€22 million) aims to contribute to the completion of quality primary education of children in Sudan, benefitting 90,000 children and training 2,000 teachers across the country.

All three actions place particular attention on migrants, IDPs and refugees, women and children.

Monitoring Initiative

The initiative "Monitoring and Learning System for the EUTF Horn of Africa" (€2 million) aims to effectively measure the progress of all ongoing and future actions in the Horn of Africa, and to adapt projects where necessary to achieve the most impact.

For more information:

Press release: EU has today announced new actions to tackle irregular migration and forced displacement in the Horn of Africa

Paper on Actions in support of tackling irregular migration and displacement in the Horn of Africa within the EU Emergency Trust Fund

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/16/4342