Over 60 representatives from the Khartoum Process participating States, international and regional organisations as well as academia and civil society representatives met in Nairobi, Kenya on 4 – 5 July 2023. Hosted by Kenya and co-hosted by Germany, the thematic meeting of the Khartoum Process entitled Building Resilience and Ensuring the Protection of and Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
The two-day discussions provided participants with a deeper understanding of internal displacement dynamics and intersecting issues, particularly within East Africa and the Horn of Africa region. Participants could explore durable solutions to internal displacement and discuss possible ways forward in line with the UN Action Agenda on internal displacement.
After a keynote speech from the Special Advisor on Solutions to Internal Displacement to the United Nations Secretary General, Mr Robert Piper, participants were given global, regional and local perspectives on how durable solutions to internal displacement were currently sought. One of main challenges identified was the lack of data hampering the development of adequate policies at national and local levels.
Debates later evolved to focus on the link between climate change, food insecurity and internal displacement and more specifically on what the effect of climate change on agriculture, food insecurity and internal displacement is. Food insecurity is both a cause and consequence of displacement, reinforced by climate change adding a layer of complexity into finding durable solutions. Durable solutions were explored by participants in interactive sessions, in which they sought innovative approaches to protect internally displaced persons and support host communities.
During this first thematic meeting on internal displacement in the framework of the Khartoum Process, elements such the urbanisation of IDPs and the gendered dimension of displacement were raised. It provided a timely opportunity to address durable solutions for IDPs given the displacement context in the Horn of Africa / East Africa. By convening a wide range of actors involved in preventing and responding to internal displacement, the meeting provided a platform for discussion on the topic ahead of the high-level meeting on internal displacement organised by the United Nations in 2024.
