July 03, 2019 (DJIBOUTI, Djibouti): The Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) held its 4th Regional Project Steering Committee (RPSC) meeting in Addis Ababa on June 24 and 25.
The RPSC is one of the key platforms which brings project countries together in order to share experiences, report on the progress made and the challenges, and the technical support they may require in line with the project objectives under DRDIP. The RPSC’s role is key to the realization of the objectives of this strategy and each project country is called upon to actively participate and share information at all platforms.
The participating countries to the Project are Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. They were joined by Somalia for the first time.
The Coordinator of the Regional Secretariat for Forced Displacement and Mixed Migration (RSFDMM), Dr. Mohamed Elduma, informed the delegates that the Regional Secretariat was successfully relocated to Djibouti and was now fully operational. He added that on top of the World Bank, other development partners have joined to support the development response to forced displacement in the region through the Regional Migration Fund supported by the German Government.
He also reminded the delegates of the upcoming Midterm Review due to take place in July 2019. He finally noted that steps have been taken to address the gaps in communication between IGAD and the countries Project Implementation Units.
The Social Development Specialist of the World Bank, Mr. Samuel Lule, tasked the members of the Steering Committee to support IGAD in defining the research Agenda and identifying the technical assistance required. The World Bank Representative also underscored the role played by IGAD in spearheading the development response agenda in the IGAD region. Mr. Lule urged the delegates to spearhead the implementation of the delayed activities ahead of the upcoming midterm review.
During this 4th Steering Committee meeting, the IGAD Regional Secretariat for Forced Displacement and Mixed Migration and the countries’ Project Implementation Units (PIUs) for the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP):
- Reviewed DRDIP implementation Progress Update for the year 2019 as part of facilitating exchange of information to support learning and sharing agenda;
- Discussed and defined the research agenda for IGAD Regional Secretariat;
The participants also agreed on structured communication channels through which stories, best practises and lessons learnt from implementing countries are shared with IGAD Regional Secretariat for publication and dissemination.
