The secretariat of Inter-Governmental Authority on Development is convening a regional workshop towards harmonization of refugee statistics in the IGAD region, from 18 to 21, March in Addis Ababa.
The objectives of the workshop are (a), to validate the displacement chapter on the second edition of the IGAD Migration and Displacement Statistics report, (b) to evaluate the previous recommendation and coming up with a concrete way forward for improving and managing displacement statistics in the IGAD region, (c), to contribute to the overall efforts to improve the availability and quality of migration and forced displacement statistics in the IGAD region and (d), to kickstart discussions on a draft comprehensive implementation strategy for refugee protection.
H.E. Madam Teyiba Hassan, a guest of honor at the workshop delivered an opening remark that countries, alongside their humanitarian and development partners, are beginning to transform the data landscape on forced displacement by pursuing the systematic inclusion of forcibly displaced people in national statistics, in-line with the Global Compact on Refugees and the commitment to “leave no-one behind” made in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Besides, she also highlighted the GoE’s pledge for the second GRF to include refugees in the national statistical system. She also emphasized the necessity for a multiyear partnership between the international community and the IGAD MSs in terms of financial, material, technical, logistical support to capacitate the National Statistics and Refugees Management Agencies of the Member States to achieve their commitments.
National Statistics, Migration and Refugee Agencies from Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia, as well as the Statistics Office of Sweden and Norway are in attendance to the workshop.
RRS is grateful to IGAD for its unwavering commitment in every dimension of refugee matters in the region as well as organizing the workshop and the FDRE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for facilitating the workshop.
