The IGAD Migration and Displacement program, under the Health and Social Development Division aims to strengthen the capacity of member states to manage migration and displacement particularly through the implementation of effective regional policies and strategies. Ultimately, the program seeks to contribute to harnessing the potential of the member countries in addressing urbanization to be able to navigate the tides of migration and displacement for a sustainable future for the benefit of migrants, refugees, internally displaced persons and host communities through research and knowledge sharing.

IGAD will organize the 4th IGAD regional scientific conference on migration and displacement, urbanization – implications for sustainable from May 19-21, 2025. The conference is supported through the Strengthening IGAD Migration Policy Implementation (SIMPI II) project supported by Government of Germany through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Sweeden and European Union.

Context

In an increasingly urbanizing region of the Horn of Africa, displacement and migration is becoming a primarily urban phenomenon. These include rural-to-urban migration, internally displaced person and asylum seekers and refugees that tend to move and stay in urban areas (cities and towns). This has put additional pressure to the IGAD member states which are already struggling to meet the needs of their populations, and at the same time provide adequate urban planning, and inclusive basic public services such as proper housing, education and employment, particularly for refugees, migrants, returnees and IDPs.

Objectives of the Sceintific Conference

• To serve as a deliberative platform for scientific dialogue and bring decision/policy makers, academia, civil societies, and related stakeholders in urban settings together to foster a collaborative dialogue on new and emerging issues of migration and displacement in the context of urbanisation;
• To present scientific solutions to fill the policy-implementation gap connecting research and policy to inform decision making;

• To develop stronger links and establish networks among IGAD, its member states, development partners, research and think tank institutions, working in migration and displacement in the region.

In line with the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) Objective 16 “Empower migrants and societies to realize full inclusion and social cohesion”, and the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) Programme of Action 38 “Networks of cities and municipalities hosting refugees”, the 4th IGAD Scientific Conference will be in response to fostering IGAD Member States in addressing, the UN New Urban Agenda, 28 on Sustainable urban development for social inclusion and ending poverty, to ensuring full respect for the human rights of refugees, internally displaced persons and migrants, regardless of their migration status, and support their host cities in the spirit of international cooperation, taking into account national circumstances and recognizing that, although the movement of large populations into towns and cities poses a variety of challenges, it can also bring significant social, economic and cultural contributions to urban life[2].

The scientific conference will further compliment the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement recommendations on urban internal displacement contexts.

Focusing on the intersections of migration and forced displacement in the context of urban and semi-urban settings, the 4th IGAD Scientific Conference on Migration, Displacement and Urbanisation – Implications for Sustainable Development, is aimed at fostering localised research-led policy strengthening through synergies between international migration and development at the global, regional, national, subnational and local levels to support safe, orderly and regular migration from well-managed migration policies and urban-rural linkages. The conference will also contribute to creating networks of cities and municipalities hosting refugees, IDPs, migrants to share good practices and innovative approaches to responses in urban setting. The conference will bring research that explore cities and towns situations, including the political dynamics, roles of city actors, and identify the specific needs of cities and contribute towards evidence and information based tailored solutions for policy makers and stakeholders.

Steering Committee  

Composed of representatives with expertise on migration and displacement with a nexus to urban and semi-urban setting from key research institutions and regional/international development organisations working in the IGAD region. The members of the Steering Committee will be responsible for steering the conference conceptualisation, selection and technical review of research papers for the conference, facilitate as discussants, moderators during the conference as well as provide inputs to the outcome knowledge and learning products. Members of the committee will be nominated on the basis of their qualifications (highest scientific and academic competence) and work on urban displacement and migration context.

Technical Team

will be composed of members from IGAD core team and collaborating partner such as GIZ. with the main task of ensuring adequate preparation, organization of logistics, and dissemination of publicity to maximise visibility. The technical team will undertake to ensure the quality and standards of the expected outputs are meet.