A fact that hasn’t been grabbing international headlines lately: Africa is home to about 18 million forcibly displaced people, more than one-fourth of the total worldwide.

The majority of forced displacement movements in Africa happen within its territory, forcing the continent to shoulder a large burden – hosting nearly 20% of the world’s refugees and 30% of the world’s Internally Displaced Persons. Displaced people consist of Refugees, who cross international borders, and Internally Displaced Persons, who are displaced from one region of a country to another. Some African countries have hosted large displaced populations for over 20 years.

Countries in the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes Region, and elsewhere in Africa have been taking the initiative to help the displaced and their host communities. With a steady increase in conflicts that spill over borders, managing this challenge with a coordinated regional approach is critical for Africa’s future growth and development.

The tragedy of the Syrian refugee crisis has also underscored the importance of addressing protracted forced displacement, not only as a humanitarian emergency, but as a significant development challenge.

With displacement continuing for years, affecting the ability of generations to access opportunities, it’s clear that camps aren’t the answer in the long term.

“We are focusing on the long-term impacts of displacement in Africa,” said Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez, Senior Director for the World Bank’s Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience Global Practice. “When displacement is protracted, long-term needs like jobs, access to land, and to basic services, education, and social inclusion become critical. No one wants to see forced displacement happen, but when it does, we need an approach that creates a positive, inclusive environment, and not one that views the displaced people as a burden.” 

The World Bank Group is working closely with a broad spectrum of partners, including the United Nations, to develop this approach. Marking their commitment to this issue, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim jointly visited the Great Lakes in May 2013 and the Horn of Africa in October 2014.

Building on this, the World Bank and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) are working to develop a new paradigm to address the dramatic increase not only in the number – but also the duration – of forced displacement.

According to Mr. Valentin Tapsoba, Director of UNHCR’s Africa Program, “With the steady increase in the number of displaced people in Africa – the highest in its history – the resources available to help host communities and Governments to sustain their exceptional hospitality are not growing proportionally. It is imperative that leaders invest in development, prevention of conflict, and facilitation of political solutions to the current conflicts to avoid waves of population movements that overlay emergency humanitarian action on top of deeper development issues that persist throughout the region. Our work in tandem with the World Bank is looking at refugee issues in the context of broader regional goals that increase livelihood opportunities, safety, and dignity as a whole.”

Recognizing this need, at the recent World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul the World Bank Group and six other multilateral development banks announced a commitment to work jointly on data and evidence, country-level engagements, and innovative financing mechanisms.

Delivering on these commitments, the World Bank has approved credits totaling almost $250 million this fiscal year to provide support for refugees, Internally Displaced Persons, returnees, and their host communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Great Lakes Region, and, most recently, in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Uganda in the Horn of Africa, and Zambia.

The analytical work that informed these projects was conducted with UNHCR and the Global Program on Forced Displacement, resulting in several innovations. In Zambia, for example, the project supports one of the first programs to fully integrate former refugees, with the government granting residency, access to land rights, and integration.

“Many governments in the region have generous and inclusive policies towards displaced persons, and were already looking for new ways to increase their self-reliance and integration. That was our starting point,” said Joanna de Berry, World Bank Senior Social Development Specialist, and task leader for the projects in the Great Lakes Region.

In the Horn of Africa project, innovations include:

• A focus on the communities hosting the refugees, recognizing that the impact of forced displacement and the secondary stresses caused by overcrowding increase the overall demand for services, and exacerbate adverse environmental and social impacts.

• Support for social cohesion between host communities and the displaced populations, providing opportunities to make joint decisions on development priorities through community-driven approaches.

• Use of government systems for a development response to displacement.

• Fostering regional learning, helping countries share experiences and best practices through a Grant to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for the establishment of the Regional Secretariat on Forced Displacement and Mixed Migration.

• Promoting the use of regional financing and operations; recognizing that displacement can cross borders with neighboring countries.

“Despite the hardships, many long-term camps are buzzing with activity – a place where people are concerned about today, yet hopeful about tomorrow. The generosity and provision made by local communities for displaced persons is extraordinary given that they have so little,” said Vara Vemuru, World Bank Senior Social Development Specialist who leads projects in the Horn of Africa.

The World Bank is committed to working with its partners to create a positive, inclusive environment to meet the needs of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, as well as of their countries of origin and host countries.

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Horn of Africa: World Bank $175 million financing supports regional initiative on communities hosting refugees

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors on 31 May 2016 approved $175 million in financing to help mitigate the impact of forced displacement on refugee-hosting communities in the Horn of Africa.

“While much of the world’s attention has been on the refugees’ crises in the Middle East, we must do much more to help African countries respond to the long-term forced displacement of millions of people,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “Our financing for countries hosting refugees in the Horn of Africa should bring more stability to the region and offer more economic opportunities for people living in these areas.”  

The funding comes from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the poorest, and includes $100 million to Ethiopia, $50 million to Uganda, $20 million to Djibouti – all at low to no-interest – and a $5 million grant to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Despite rich human, social, and natural capital, the Horn of Africa region, home to 242 million inhabitants, suffers weak governance, insecurity, increasing environmental degradation, entrenched poverty, and other persistent development challenges. Conflict remains endemic, compounded by population growth and migration, high youth unemployment, imbalanced service provision, competition for scarce natural resources, and harsh climatic conditions, with increasingly frequent and severe droughts and floods.

The Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP) will help improve access to basic social services, expand economic opportunities, and enhance environmental management for communities hosting refugees in target areas of the three countries. This project is the first phase of an expanded program to include other countries affected by forced displacement.

The Horn currently hosts an estimated 9.5 million displaced persons, including more than 6.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and about 3 million refugees. The majority are women and children, with many female-headed households. The presence of refugees strains already weak public services and economic opportunities, jeopardizing the resilience of host communities.

“Forced displacement is one of the most daunting challenges of our time, and Africa hosts around a quarter of the world’s displaced, said Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice President for Africa. He added, “The burden falls largely on host countries. With this support, we are looking beyond humanitarian assistance to long-term development solutions. It will help host communities become more resilient, facilitate the social and economic integration of refugees and internally displaced people, and stimulate local development. The project is a win for all.”

Djibouti has been spared the instability affecting many of its neighbors, but faces significant challenges such as high levels of poverty and unemployment as well as cross-border threats. Refugees from war and conflict in neighboring countries are arriving in large numbers, exacerbating economic and social challenges. The project will help address vulnerabilities such as poverty and unemployment, deficits in human development and social service delivery, and limited access to basic infrastructure, while helping build resilience.

“Despite its many challenges, including limited natural resources and the often devastating impact of climate change, Djibouti continues to provide refuge for people fleeing conflict in neighboring countries. Our program will help strengthen economic and social conditions in areas welcoming refugees, to assist both host communities and refugees themselves,” said Hafez Ghanem, World Bank Vice President for Middle East and North Africa.

The project supports the World Bank Regional Horn of Africa Initiative by developing interventions that help refugee-hosting areas. It focuses on building resilience by addressing negative environmental and economic impacts, and by investing in infrastructure to improve economic opportunities for refugees and host communities. Global experience shows that self-reliant refugees are better prepared to return to their countries of origin. The project also supports close collaboration with the UNHCR in seeking durable solutions to the refugee crisis.

Ethiopia has Africa’s largest refugee population, and Uganda the third-largest. These refugees are settled close to international borders in communities facing extreme poverty. The project will improve these communities’ access to basic social services and economic infrastructure, and help promote economic self-reliance and social development for refugees. It will make innovative use of government financing systems, structures, and institutions to deliver a development response to forced displacement. 

The grant to IGAD will establish a regional secretariat for Forced Displacement and Mixed Migration to support a holistic regional response, backed by data, to influence interventions in both refugee-hosting and refugee-producing countries. It will support policy dialogue with member states and academic and research institutions on transitional and progressive solutions to displacement. It will help build countries’ and institutions’ capacities in the Horn and forge partnerships between humanitarian and development actors. IGAD’s own capacity will also be strengthened to act both regionally and internationally on issues affecting the Horn of Africa.