ReDSS Solutions Statement: Somalia June, 2015 www.regionaldss.org
UNLOCKING THE PROTRACTED SITUATION OF DISPLACED COMMUNITIES IN THE HORN OF AFRICA There are over 2 million Somalis displaced in the East and Horn of Africa, with a further 1.1 million IDPs displaced within Somalia. 1 This accounts for almost 20% of the population displaced and therefore in need of protection and assistance. Around 80% of Somalia s IDP population are from south and central Somalia. 2 The search for durable solutions for displaced people in the region, many of whom have been in protracted displacement for years, will continue to be a challenge for the foreseeable future. This is a key humanitarian and development concern, a regional and cross border issue, which is highly politicized and dynamic, and demands a multi-sectoral response that goes beyond the existing humanitarian agenda. It is key to identify the central areas of support required by states, host communities, refugees and IDPs that have the most opportunities for enhancing viable and sustainable durable solutions. NGOs in the region have engaged in extensive consultations, identifying a wish and vision to establish a body that can assist key stakeholders in working more consistently with the issue of durable solutions. From this a Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS) has been formed with the aim of maintaining a focused momentum around the Tripartite Agreement between the Governments of Kenya, Somalia and UNHCR; and to create momentum for NGO engagement with durable solutions for displaced and displacement affected communities. ReDSS is a member of the Solutions Alliance, a Global Initiative to unlock protracted displacement situations and support governments with displacements. The Solutions Alliance is chaired by UNHCR, UNDP, Danida, the government of Columbia and IRC with DRC hosting the global secretariat. THE SOMALIA CONTEXT Somalia remains a volatile context. A fragile government is overseeing a fragmented state. Conflict continues, trade routes have collapsed, food prices have soared, while humanitarian aid has reduced. The humanitarian crisis in Somalia is recurring, while displacement continues, largely due to insecurity, unpredictable weather systems, and people s ongoing search for livelihoods. Tripartite The situation in Somalia is currently not conducive for mass return and reintegration. However a three year, renewable Tripartite Agreement was signed in November 2013 between the Governments of Kenya, Somalia and UNHCR, which established the framework for the voluntary return of Somali refugees. All parties to the agreement committed to the voluntary nature of returns and that they take place in safety and dignity. 3 In April 2015, the Tripartite Commission, charged with overseeing the voluntary return of Somali refugees from Kenya, met and appointed senior delegates to the Commission. The Committee highlighted the need for a comprehensive strategy that innovatively links humanitarian and development actors in Somalia, with plans to develop a plan of action towards this. A six month pilot returns programme under the tripartite agreement began in December 2014, with plans to assist 10,000 refugees to return by June 2015. So far, assisted voluntary returns have taken place to 1 http://data.unhcr.org/horn-of-africa/regional.php 2 UNFPA Executive Summary of the Population Estimation Survey 3 The Tripartite agreement was signed between the Governments of Kenya, Somalia and UNHCR, which set out the framework for the voluntary return of Somali refugees to Somalia, ensuring the safety and dignity of refugees engaging in the process, while confirming an ongoing commitment to refugees in Kenya. For more information see: http://www.unhcr. org/528102b49.html 1 www.regionaldss.org
Luuq, Baidoa and Kismayo in south Somalia, where around 2,000 refugees have been assisted to return since the pilot implementation of the agreement began. 4 At the time of writing, return convoys were stopped due to bad road conditions. Security issues within Kenya led to a lack of certainty over whether the tripartite agreement would remain the framework overseeing the return of refugees, following a statement from Kenya s Deputy President that the Dadaab refugee camps should be closed within three months. 5 In May, following a visit of the UN High Commissioner to Kenya and Somalia, the Governments of Kenya, Somalia and UNHCR agreed that returns from Kenya would be in accordance with the Tripartite Agreement, and that there would be an expansion of additional areas for people to return to in Somalia. 6 IDP Returns Opportunities have emerged through the last years to further durable solutions for IDPs, predominantly through voluntary return and local integration. Despite this, the vast majority of IDPs continue to lack actual and sustainable options, particularly as local integration appears to be the preferred option for many IDPs. 7 Returns of internally displaced people within Somalia to their areas of origin have been taking place since 2012, paving the way for assisted refugee returns from Somalia. Around 14,000 households have been assisted to return to their areas of origin since 2012. 8 Assisted returns have been taking place predominantly to the regions of Bay, Lower and Middle Shabelle, although returns have had to be halted on occasion, mainly due to military offensives and ensuing new waves of displacement. In 2015, IDP returns will continue to take place, while alternative transitional and durable solutions are sought. New Deal The New Deal is an overarching framework which sets out five peace building and state building goals, building on international consensus that progress on millennium development goals in fragile states is impossible without achieving peace and security. 9 The Somali Compact, part of the new deal framework, shapes international engagement in Somalia, with the intention to increase alignment of international assistance to Somalia s national peacebuilding and state-building priorities. The New Deal identified five priority peace and state building goals (PSGs) from 2014-2016, defined and endorsed by the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the international community, under which development aid will be increasingly channeled: - Inclusive politics; - Security; - Justice; - Economic foundations; - Revenues and services. Obstacles in the implementation of the New Deal framework in Somalia remain. Firstly due to significant donor concern over risks of corruption and financial mismanagement. Secondly, some civil society actors are concerned that channeling aid through state systems in fragile states can reinforce conflict dynamics, 4 UNHCR, Durable Solutions Infographic, May 2015, http://data.unhcr.org/horn-of-africa/country.php?id=197 5 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32269944 6 http://www.unhcr.org/5550c33e6.html 7 UNHCR, Durable Solutions in Somalia: an outline of frameworks and initiatives, March 2015. 8 UNHCR Somalia Returns Consortium achievements and joint return plan 2014. 9 Larry Attree, A new deal for aid in fragile and conflict affected states? Saferworld, Nov 2011. www.regionaldss.org 2
as states may be party to a conflict, have questionable legitimacy, or a poor human rights record. The response to this has been to encourage joint assessments of the risk of working in fragile states, and joint mechanisms to manage this risk. The Brookings Institute summarized its assessment of the New Deal: Despite the modest progress that has been made and the enthusiasm of New Deal focal points among donors, civil society, and G7+ pilot countries, implementation of the New Deal to date is characterized by unmet conditions, unrealistic expectations about timeframes, and a lack of sustained dialogue about the causes of conflict and fragility. Lastly, civil society engagement in the New Deal has been largely absent, as has the participation of Somali civilians. 10 UNLOCKING THE SITUATION: A REGIONAL SOLUTIONS FRAMEWORK FOR SOMALI DISPLACEMENT ReDSS adapted the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Framework for Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons to the Somali refugee context, using indicators to measure whether a durable solution has been achieved or whose parameters are most easily improved in search of solutions. Key areas identified are: a. Physical Safety safety and security; b. Material Safety adequate standard of living, access to livelihoods, restoration of housing land and property; c. Legal Safety access to documentation, family reunification, participation in public affairs, access to effective remedies and justice. The solutions framework offers a snapshot in time to assess the conditions for local integration in South and Central Somalia. Members of ReDSS used a range of sources, including programme data from the Advisory Group, 11 to assess the achievement of the indicators to date. Data utilized was, where possible, from 2014, though due to gaps in information, there was some data incorporated prior to that. A traffic light system was used to assess the status of each outcome for a long-term, sustainable durable solution to be realized according to each of the 30 indicators utilised. The traffic light provided a comparative assessment of conditions for a returnee with the local population. Where green indicates that a durable solution could be achieved in comparison to the host community, orange indicates that the standard had not been met, and red that the standard was far from met. Key challenges and assumptions - The adapted indicators used are humanitarian in nature, which aim to achieve minimum standards, in comparison to areas where local standards were already of a low standard. This raises questions of the quality of durable solutions available in contexts experiencing or at risk of chronic or ongoing crises. For example, the Somalia case-study, at a glance, looks like it is further in achieving conditions necessary for a durable solution as compared to the Dadaab case-study. 12 However this is due to overall poorer living conditions for all populations, 10 Samuel Hall commissioned DRC / ReDSS study, A New Deal for Somalia s Displaced?, November 2014, P 10 11 For more information see http://www.regionaldss.org/ 12 See ReDSS solutions statement: Kenya, June 2015 3 www.regionaldss.org
with an analysis taking place in a context of deteriorating humanitarian conditions, and less disparity between the displaced and local community. There is a need for furthering the timbre of the indicators so they are more in line with a development setting, or that there is a more comparative analysis with receiving communities. - By its nature, the framework relies on qualitative, subjective interpretation of available information. There is a need for greater inclusion of a range of sources of information, including individual perceptions of people displaced, and local community. SOMALIA SOLUTIONS FRAMEWORK FOR DISPLACEMENT RETURN AND REINTEGRATION AS DURABLE SOLUTIONS: SOUTH AND CENTRAL SOMALIA CASE STUDY 13 Sources of information used showed that overall, standards of physical, material or legal safety had not, or were far from met, for returnees to achieve a durable solution in the current context of south and central Somalia. When considering physical safety, it was found that of six indicators, five were red far from met. This includes, among others, the existence of unexploded ordnance, a high prevalence of violent crimes and discrimination in areas of south and central Somalia, with perceptions that safety and security is very low. The material safety of returnees compared to the local population showed some achievement of the benchmarks in certain situations. Though most indicators were found not to have been, or far from met, access to livelihoods were partially available when compared to the local population. The ability of returnees to establish an adequate standard of living, in comparison to the local population, was found to be largely unavailable. However, in this category, there were major constraints in terms of the coverage and accessibility of services. Conditions for the achievement of legal safety were, where information was available, found to have been predominantly far from met. Mechanisms were partially in place to ensure family reunification, however this did not consider cross-border returns, but rather IDP returns. However in the assessment of legal safety of returnees, there were many gaps in information. Information used was largely secondary information, and was not necessarily representative of the entire geographic area or population. Obstacles and Opportunities - It is clear that gaps in protection and livelihoods exist in order to achieve all elements of a durable solution, however strategies and actors to move these forward are identifiable. - Limited spontaneous as well as assisted IDP returns are taking place, which is seen as a precursor to refugee return. However the figures for retention and permanence of return are still unclear. 13 The data used was from IDP returns, as the pilot refugee assisted return programme had not yet started. This is a weakness of the data. www.regionaldss.org 4
REDSS RESEARCH In light of the political and policy environment, ReDSS commissioned Samuel Hall research to take stock of potential opportunities for promoting durable solutions for displaced people in the Somalia New Deal Compact. The objectives were twofold: 1. Identifying displacement in Somalia s development discourse, 2. Assessing stakeholder engagement in the compact. The importance of addressing these issues lies in the fact that around 20% of Somalia s population in the region are displaced. The displacement problem in Somalia is acute, protracted and recurring; while a large number of Somali refugees and IDPs remain dependent on humanitarian aid. To build a stable Somalia, it is a priority to build the resilience of displaced people to external and internal shocks that they have no control over. The New Deal Compact references displacement in the following statement: The Compact also recognizes the need to address the development needs of the Somali population who are displaced inside the country, or returning from surrounding countries. 14 This was a progression in the conceptualization of refugees and IDPs and their relation to development, who in communiques of conferences on the New Deal held in the years preceding it, had discussed displacement only in the context of voluntary returns. The reality, however, was found to be starkly different, and displaced people were given little place within the New Deal or Compact processes. Research findings indicated that the absence of displaced people in the New Deal processes stems in part from information gaps on who a displaced person is in the Somalia context, how their needs vary from the non-displaced, and a lack of information on movement and vulnerability profiles. Though displacement has rarely, in this or other contexts, been factored into development programming, it is crucial that it is recognized that displacement is a development issue. In Somalia, the numbers of displaced cannot be ignored when considering long term aims; displacement impacts on stability and urban planning; while humanitarian assistance without development follow-up leads only to short term impact. Crucially, if displaced youth continue to be marginalized and excluded, they are vulnerable to recruitment and risk being further estranged from labour markets. Displaced people present opportunities for development, for example by transfer of skills and markets through mobility, and through tapping into their extensive networks. For example, Somali remittances are a large source of capital for markets and business networks. Building the resilience and self-reliance of displaced people can empower people to better contribute to Somalia s reconstruction and development. The research recommended a number of steps to ensure displacement is firmly integrated within Somalia s peace and state building goals, and that they are central to development strategies and plans. The first step was to set the agenda by bringing actors and processes together. There are a number of global, regional and Somalia-specific initiatives on durable solutions that can be mobilized to engage with the Somalia compact, including ReDSS, the Solutions Alliance (global and Somalia) as well as Global Initiative for Somali Refugees (GISR). The report recommended a roadmap to set displacement on the New Deal agenda through using a twopronged approach: engage with stakeholders for the purpose of advocacy; and engage with the PSGs in order to ensure displacement is programmed. 14 Samuel Hall commissioned DRC / ReDSS study, A New Deal for Somalia s Displaced?, November 2014, P 10 www.regionaldss.org 6
Engaging with stakeholders Recommended actors to engage with are as follows: - Donors, to emphasize the importance of durable solutions for development; - Federal Government of Somalia in supporting mainstreaming of durable solutions in national reform processes; - Engaging with Civil Society Organisations and NGOs to provide the link to the local and give voice to the displaced. Engaging with PSGs A number of specific recommendations were made to ensure displacement was factored into each of Somalia s state building goals. What needs to take place to facilitate durable solutions? - The Somali government should take full responsibility of addressing the needs and protecting displaced populations; - Humanitarian and development actors should work together to build the resilience of Somalia s displaced; - Development programs to recognize their role in facilitating durable solutions; - Build access to the people and provide them with a way to voice their needs through developing a strong civil society. For more information on the research, please see A New Deal for Somalia s Displaced: Exploring opportunities for engagement for durable solutions with the Somalia new deal compact: http://samuelhall.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/a- New-Deal-for-the-Displaced-in-Somalia.pdf 7 www.regionaldss.org
NEXT STEPS TO ACHIEVE DURABLE SOLUTIONS IN DEVELOPMENT DISCOURSE Displacement Matters The research was launched to coincide with a High Level Partner Forum (HLPF) held in Copenhagen in November 2014, whose aim was to focus on progress against Somalia s New Deal Compact, identify challenges, and agree on joint ways to address these challenges. Danish Refugee Council and Solutions Alliance hosted a joint side-event to the HLPF which brought together government s engaged in Somalia s New Deal process, the FGS and international organisations, in order to build consensus that lasting solutions for Somalia s displaced people should be a benchmark to measure progress of the New Deal. DRC spoke on behalf of international NGOs, and focused on the role of humanitarian responders as positive enablers in the transfer of services to the government; the risk of destabilisation due to unmanaged displacement and the importance of ReDSS and the Solutions Alliance in this regard. The discussions and key messages of the side-event were raised at the High Level Partnership Forum, held in the two days immediately after the side-event, with official participants making reference to the side-event and the ReDSS study, and through DRC s participation at the official conference. The importance of building resilience, including through better linkages between humanitarian and development programmes with a particular focus on durable solutions, was recognised in the official HLPF communique that came out of the conference, 15 as a result of the intervention by DRC and ReDSS. Since the completion of the research, a number of organisations came together under Solutions Alliance Somalia in order to progress with the findings. Solutions Alliance Somalia brought together development and humanitarian actors, including the Federal Government of Somalia, World Bank, UN development and humanitarian agencies as well as civil society organisations including ReDSS, DRC and IRC. Agencies have been working together to identify a series of results chains that would fall under each of the PSGs, and which can be adopted by a broad range of stakeholders. At the time of writing, these results chains are under development. Opportunities to then operationalize the results chains will be taken after their development. 15 http://um.dk/en/~/media/global/documents/cph%20communique-141119final.pdf www.regionaldss.org 8
ReDSS Solutions Statements are a series of short publications, offering a snap shot in time and location, providing a brief assessment of the state of affairs concerning the promotion of solutions for the displaced and outlining key policy developments and opportunities in a given context. ReDSS will revisit the situations described to provide a development of the situations over time.