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UNHCR Regional Consultations with NGOs in Western and Central Africa

In this section:

Background

In June 2023, the West and Central Africa region had 13.3 million forcibly displaced and stateless people, a number that has nearly doubled since 2018. Unfortunately, the current context does not suggest any future improvement. The region continues to grapple with general instability, including political, security, and communal unrest. Other factors, such as the impact of climate change exacerbating food insecurity and poverty, as well as global inflation and the effects of the war in Ukraine, continue to devastate already fragile economies, intensifying insecurity and driving population displacement.

In this socio-economic and security context, where budgets are decreasing, humanitarian actors struggle to meet the constantly growing needs. Much of the burden falls on host communities, which themselves are experiencing deteriorating living conditions. Collaboration and partnerships between humanitarian actors and civil society remain central to addressing the needs of forcibly displaced populations and their host communities.

The objectives of the 2023 regional consultations are as follows:

  • Identify common regional priorities for UNHCR and NGOs, considering the region's specific challenges and opportunities.
  • Identify various joint and individual mobilization ways to prepare for the second Global Refugee Forum.
  • Develop regional recommendations that will inform the global consultations and contribute to the overall efforts of UNHCR and its partners in the discussed thematic areas.

These consultations are intended for UNHCR's main NGO partners, members of ICVA, and organizations led by the populations we serve, both at the regional and national levels. The moderators and speakers will be a mix of UNHCR staff, NGO representatives, and experts in the field from other organizations at both regional and national levels.

Discussions will be conducted in both French and English and accompanied by interpreters.

UNHCR and ICVA logos

Important documents

Agenda

Dakar time

Tuesday 12, September 2023

9:00-09:15 — Welcoming Remarks

  • Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, Regional Bureau Director WCA, UNHCR
  • Adeline Benita, ICVA Representative for WCA

09:15-10:45 — Towards the second Global Refugee Forum (GRF)

  • Paul Absalon, Snr Development officer and GRF focal point, UNHCR
  • Rakesh Gupta Nichanametla Ramasubbaia, Policy Officer DIP Global Compact on Refugees, UNHCR
  • Gabriela Miranda, Senior Policy Officer Forced Migration, ICVA

10:45-11:45 — Coffee break

11:15-13:15 — Inclusion of forcibly displaced people in Social Protection System

  • Georgia Christina Kosmida Bradley, Snr Livelihood & Economic Inclusion Officer, UNHCR
  • Jacques Mekok, ICLA (Information, counselling and legal assistance) project coordinator in Batouri (East Cameroun), NRC
  • Junior Joseph, Regional Economic Recovery Coordinator, DRC

13:15-14:00 — Lunch

14:00-16:00 — Against the odds: Advancing Gender Equality

  • Nfomi Laura Berka, Director of COMUCEID, Cameroun
  • Clarisse Ntampaka, Snr Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Officer, UNHCR
  • Yolande Flore Longang tchounkeu, Technical Adviser for the Protection and Empowerment of Women for West Africa, IRC

Wednesday 13, September 2023

8:45-10:45 — Protection monitoring and community-based data collection

  • Antoine Jean Thomas Ellias, Projet 21 Coordinator, Burkina Faso, UNHCR
  • Elmehdi Ag Wakina, AMSS Director and President of PONAH (plateforme des ONG actives dans l’humanitaire), Mali
  • Frederic Baele, Regional head of programs and Mairama Cissé, Cluster protection Co-lead, Burkina Faso, DRC

10:45-11:00 — Coffee break

11:00-13:00 — Return and reintegration in conditions that meet international standards

  • Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, Bureau Director for WCA, UNHCR
  • Patrick Andrey, Humanitarian expert (Consultant)
  • Abdel Hakim Tahir, General Director of l’ADES

13:00-14:00 — Lunch

14:00-16:00 — UNHCR programme reforms and partnerships: Where We Stand Today

  • Jacopo Segnini, Deputy Regional Director West Africa, INTERSOS
  • Clare Askew, Snr Programme Management and Support Officer, DSPR, UNHCR
  • Yves Ouoba, Director of TINTUA (Burkina Faso) and Vice-President of SPONG (Secrétariat Permanent des ONG au Burkina Faso)

16:00-16:15 — Concluding remarks UNHCR-ICVA

  • Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, Regional Bureau Director WCA, UNHCR
  • Adeline Benita, ICVA Representative for WCA

📧 Contact

For any other inquiries, please contact Anne Bathily at [email protected].